A study on the effects of discotheque noise on the hearing of young patrons

This study aims to find out whether discotheque music affects hearing by exposing 48 young volunteers to discotheque music in discotheque sessions at two discotheques and evaluating their degree of auditory fatigue after exposure. Questionnaire interviews revealed that the majority of them visit discotheques regularly. A higher proportion of those attending the louder discotheque found the music too loud. The prevalence of tinnitus is also higher in those attending the noisier discotheque. The degree of threshold shifts, however, does not appear to be related to the volume of music or auditory fatigue. The noise level exposure was estimated to be 91 dBA to 98 dBA for weekly exposure and 85 dBA to 92 dBA for monthly exposure. To avoid hearing loss, patrons should avoid loud discotheques, or cut down their frequency of visits if they choose to continue patronising them.