Investigating the effect of extended highfrequency hearing loss on duration pattern sequence test

Background and Aim: Temporal processing is affected in people exposed to occupational noise. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the temporal processing of people exposed to occupational noise of more than 85 dB A but have not experienced clinically significant changes at hearing thresholds at conventional frequencies. Methods: A comparison between groups were designed using individuals exposed to occupational noise (n = 15 as the case group) and nonexposed individuals (n = 16 as the control gro #xAD;up). Two groups were agematched (p lt; 0.05). The extended highfrequency audiometric thre #xAD;sholds and temporal processing system were evaluated through a duration pattern sequence test. Finally, the correlation between the extended highfrequency hearing thresholds and the duration pattern test scores was investigated. Results: The case group had significantly higher hearing thresholds than the control group at 14, 15, and 16 kHz (p lt; 0.05). Although in other frequencies, the mean hearing thresholds in the case group was higher than the control group, the difference was not significant. Also, the case group had significantly lower duration pattern sequence scores than the control group in the right (p = 0.02) and the left ears (p = 0.03). There was no correlation between extended highfrequency hearing thresholds and duration pattern sequence test scores. Conclusion: In people exposed to occupational noise, both extended highfrequency thresholds and temporal processing in lower frequency ran #xAD;ges (with normal hearing thresholds) are interrupted.