According to a new study conducted by House Research Institute
(HRI) researchers, 72% of teenagers participating in a study experienced
temporary reduced hearing ability following exposure to a pop rock
performance by a popular female singer. M. Jennifer Derebery, MD, House Clinic physician, along with the
House Research Institute tested teens’ hearing before and after a
concert and presented the study findings at a recent American Otologic
Society meeting and that also will be published in an upcoming issue of Otology & Neurotology.
The hearing loss that may be experienced after a pop rock concert is
not generally believed to be permanent. It is called a temporary
threshold shift and usually disappears within 16-48 hours, after which a
person’s hearing returns to previous levels. However, repeated
exposures to the same levels may cause permanent damage.