Behind the Music: Professional Artists at Increased Risk of Tinnitus

For professional musicians, music is their life. The creation and success of their craft ultimately determines the future of their career. Yet some may take for granted just how important a role hearing plays in the cacophony of their art.

A recent study shows that professional musicians are four times more likely to lose their hearing than the average individual.

The findings were based on data from 3 million people between the ages of 19 and 66 in Germany. From this sample, 2,227 were professional musicians.

Over a four-year period from 2004 to 2008, 283,697 of the participants were diagnosed with hearing loss, 238 of whom were professional musicians. This suggests that professional musicians are up to four times more likely to suffer from hearing loss than the average person.

"Our data suggest that in professional musicians the risks of music-induced hearing loss outweigh the potential benefits for hearing ability, as reported by other researchers," said Professor Gunter Kreutz, from Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg in Germany and Dr Wolfgang Ahrens, from the University of Bremen in Germany, via The Daily Mail. "Given the number of professional musicians and the severity of the outcome, leading to occupational disability and severe loss of quality of life, hearing loss in this group is of high public health importance."

The findings shed light on environmental issues in the music industry and hearing loss. As musicians Phil Collins and Ozzy Osbourne have both admitted to hearing loss from their professions, the study shows--among others--what long-term exposure to loud sounds can cause.

More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.