(Press-News.org) November 14, 2014 - After the Boston Marathon bombings, more than 100 people were treated for trauma affecting the ears and hearing--with many having persistent or worsening hearing loss or other symptoms, reports a study in the December issue of Otology & Neurotology. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
Dr. Aaron Remenschneider and principal investigator Dr. Alicia Quesnel of Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary led a Boston-wide collaboration that reviewed the experience with otologic injuries caused by the 2013 attack, including follow-up evaluation of hearing and related outcomes. The researchers conclude, "Blast-related otologic injuries constitute a major source of morbidity following the Boston Marathon bombings."
Ruptured Eardrum and Other Injuries after Marathon Bombings
The study assembles data from eight hospitals that provided care for patients with otologic (ear- and hearing-related) trauma caused by two bomb explosions near the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. "Acute otologic trauma following the dual blasts was immediately apparent," Dr Remenschneider and coauthors write. "However, the extensiveness was not appreciated until the days and weeks that followed."
The study included 94 of the more than 100 patients evaluated at Boston area hospitals and clinics (Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston Medical Center, Tufts Medical Center, and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates) after the blasts. Only seven percent of patients had any hearing-related symptoms before the attack.
Most of the patients sustained primary blast injury known as barotrauma. The most common type of otologic injury was tympanic membrane perforation, which is a ruptured eardrum. Forty-eight patients had tympanic membrane perforations, with 14 patients having perforations in both ears. Overall, 90 percent of patients hospitalized for other injuries had tympanic membrane perforations on examination.
Rates of perforations were nearly three times higher for patients who had other significant injuries related to the bombings, and for those who were closer to the blast. In 38 percent of cases, the perforations healed spontaneously. Patients with larger ruptures required surgical repair, which had a high rate of success (86 percent).
One Year Later, Many Have Persistent Hearing Loss
All patients expressed concern about hearing loss or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). On follow-up evaluation of 44 patients, 80 percent had reduced hearing and 68 percent had new or worsened tinnitus. Other symptoms included increased sensitivity to sound (hyperacusis) and dizziness or balance problems.
For many patients, hearing problems were still present--and sometimes still worsening--one year after the attacks. Many had difficulty hearing in noisy situations; others developed delayed problems with disequilibrium. In follow-up surveys, many patients had ongoing disability related to hearing loss, tinnitus, or dizziness.
Most of what is known about blast-related otologic injury comes from military studies; blast trauma to the ear is fortunately rare in civilian populations. The new study suggests that the impact of blast-related injury might be greater in civilians, perhaps because protective equipment normally worn by military personnel is absent in civilians.
The Boston Marathon experience suggests that otologic trauma can be a major source of immediate and lasting injury for victims of civilian bombing attacks. Dr Remenschneider and coauthors point out that many patients have "hidden hearing loss," which may not be apparent on routine hearing tests. They emphasize the need for long-term follow-up assessments to ensure that patients receive appropriate testing and treatment for any resultant disabling symptoms.
INFORMATION:
Click here to read "Otologic Outcomes After Blast Injury: The Boston Marathon Experience.
About Otology & Neurotology
Otology & Neurotology publishes original articles relating to both clinical and basic science aspects of otology, neurotology, and cranial base surgery. As the foremost journal in its field, it has become the favored place for publishing the best of new science relating to the human ear and its diseases. The broadly international character of its contributing authors, editorial board, and readership provides the Journal its decidedly global perspective. Otology & Neurotology is the official journal of the American Otological Society, American Neurotology Society, European Academy of Otology & Neurotology, Politzer Society and Japan Otological Society.
About Wolters Kluwer Health
Wolters Kluwer Health is a leading global provider of information, business intelligence and point-of-care solutions for the healthcare industry. Serving more than 150 countries worldwide, clinicians rely on Wolters Kluwer Health's market leading information-enabled tools and software solutions throughout their professional careers from training to research to practice. Major brands include Health Language®, Lexicomp®, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Medicom®, Medknow, Ovid®, Pharmacy OneSource®, ProVation® Medical and UpToDate®.
Wolters Kluwer Health is part of Wolters Kluwer, a market-leading global information services company. Wolters Kluwer had 2013 annual revenues of €3.6 billion ($4.7 billion), employs approximately 19,000 people worldwide, and maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.maintains operations in over 40 countries across Europe, North America, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Wolters Kluwer is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Its shares are quoted on Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).
Follow our official Twitter handle: @WKHealth.
This news release is available in German. For their study, the scientists investigated diseased nerve cells using high precision methods and subsequently simulated their electrical properties on the computer. In their view, medical interventions that preserve the structural integrity of neurons may constitute an innovative strategy for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
Inside the brain, the nerve cells, which are also called "neurons," are woven into a network in which they relay signals to one another. Thus, neurons form intricate projections that enable ...
This interview was conducted in August, released as a Web First, and appears in the November issue of Health Affairs.
Health Affairs has previously published Cheng's interviews with other world health ministers, including Thomas Zeltner of Switzerland (2010) and Chen Zhu of China (2012).
In this interview, Minister Nguyen noted that the Vietnamese parliament has voted to spend about 30 percent of the country's state fund for public health. However, that goal has yet to be reached. She also confirmed that Vietnam's 2008 Law of Health Insurance requires patients use ...
Managing childhood asthma is difficult. Rather than giving daily medications -- even when children feel well -- many parents treat asthma only when symptoms become severe. This practice can lead to missed school days, trips to the ER and hospitalizations.
But a novel program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that peer trainers who coach parents over the phone on managing their children's asthma can sharply reduce the number of days the kids experience symptoms. The program also dramatically decreased ER visits and hospitalizations among ...
DUBLIN, Ireland, November 14th, 2014 - TB is an infectious disease that kills 1.5 million people each year, and smoking is the biggest driver of the global TB epidemic. Medical scientists at Trinity College Dublin and St James's Hospital in Ireland have unlocked the mechanism underlying the connection between smoking and Tuberculosis (TB). This discovery will considerably strengthen anti-smoking efforts to control TB and uncovers new therapy and vaccine options for TB. Their research has just been published in the top respiratory Journal, the American Journal of Respiratory ...
Philadelphia, PA (November 14, 2014) -- Sleep apnea may accelerate kidney function decline in diabetic patients with kidney disease, according to a study that will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
Type 2 diabetes often contributes to the development of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Because obstructive sleep apnea is common in patients with type 2 diabetes, investigators wonder whether disordered sleep might play a role in the link between diabetes and kidney dysfunction. To investigate, ...
Philadelphia, PA (November 14, 2014) -- Many young patients with chronic conditions don't take their medications correctly, but 2 new studies point to ways to address such medication non-adherence. The studies will be presented at ASN Kidney Week 2014 November 11¬-16 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA.
In one study, researchers led by Frederick Kaskel, MD, PhD (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) and Oleh Akchurin, MD (Weill Cornell College of Medicine) looked to see how young patients are using smart phones to help them take their medications. ...
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2014--Quick Response (QR) codes -- the box-shaped symbols that appear on signs, posters, and even business cards -- are a convenient and efficient way of accessing specific web pages with a smartphone or other mobile device. However, new research published today in The Optical Society's (OSA) new high-impact journal Optica, explains how QR codes can do much more.
By adding an array of tiny lenses to an ordinary smartphone, a team of optical engineers from the University of Connecticut has found a way to securely display three-dimensional (3-D) images ...
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have found that screening for Ebola at airports could be an effective method for preventing the spread of the disease into the UK and US, but due to the long incubation period of the virus, screening won't detect all cases.
Published in the Lancet medical journal, the study used a mathematical model to test the probability of infected travellers from West Africa entering the UK and US.
The team, from the University's Institute of Infection and Global Health, examined the current growth rate of the epidemic in West Africa alongside ...
People with bipolar disorder who are being treated with the drug lithium are at risk of acute kidney damage and need careful monitoring, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
Lithium is a mainstay treatment for bipolar disorder and it is known that the drug can cause a loss of kidney function. The new research establishes the link between short-term exposure to high levels and potential damage to the kidneys.
It is still not known what the impact of more than a single exposure to high levels ...
Scientists from the University of Liverpool have sequenced the mitochondrial genome in glaucoma patients to help further understanding into the genetic basis for the disease.
Glaucoma is a major cause of irreversible blindness, affecting more than 60 million people worldwide, increasing to an estimated 79.6 million people by 2020. It is thought that the condition has genetic origins and many experiments have shown that new sequencing approaches could help understand how the condition develops.
Studies on primary open-angle glaucoma - the most common form of glaucoma ...
