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When Baby Boomers' parents told them listening to loud rock 'n' roll would ruin their hearing, they were right, according to a new study.

The Johns Hopkins Hospital study shows more Americans are suffering from hearing loss than previously reported, which Cherokee County doctors said rings true.

The study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said 16.1 percent of U.S. adults, which adds up to 29 million Americans, had speech-frequency hearing loss in 2004, the most recent data available. And 31 percent, which total an estimated 55 million, had high-frequency hearing loss.

Catalysts ranging from explosives during World War II to today's iPods all make for the increase in hearing loss patients, according to local doctors.

"It's a noisy world," said Dr. Jan Henriques of Woodstock, owner of Progressive Audiology. "There will be younger people who expose themselves, the numbers are scheduled to increase within the next 20 years."

Baby Boomers are some of the most affected by hearing loss today, according to The EAR Foundation, a nonprofit focused on hearing loss. A large number of the 76 million Boomers have shown signs of progressive hearing loss.

Factors in the post-war era such as rock 'n' roll, sound amplifiers, the swell of illegal drug use and smoking all have contributed to the generation's hearing issues.

Dr. Henriques said she sees many Boomers at her practice, with offices in Towne Lake and Jasper, which treats an average of 10 patients a day.

Recent war veterans also are suffering from audible range impairments. Loud industrial clatter, gunshots, and earsplitting explosives all have led to hearing problems in the armed forces.

"I was at the firing range about seven or eight hours a day," said former Master Sgt. David Farabaugh of Holly Springs, who returned from a tour in Iraq in July of 2006 and now works as a Roswell Police Department officer. "My hearing loss is high-level hearing; they only make hearing aids for low-level hearing loss."

Daughter Kayla Farabaugh said as a result of the hearing loss, her dad can't hear some every day sounds.

"Our dog Izzie barks so loud when she wants to get up on the couch while my dad is watching TV, and he can't hear her," she said. "I have to come all the way downstairs to put her on the couch so she will stop barking."

When certain ototoxic medicines are taken in excess of the amount prescribed, they also can be factors in the process of hearing loss. The League for the Hard of Hearing organization reports Vicodin and Lorcet (hydrocodones), Ibuprofen, naproxen and Voltaren all contribute to loss of hearing when taken in large amounts.

Tinnitus (ringing in the ears) is a commonly seen problem, Dr. Henriques said. It can be caused by fluid behind the ear, ear wax, and even certain medicines such as lithium and Ben Gay. Carbon monoxide, alcohol, caffeine, marijuana, nicotine, and mercury also can contribute to tinnitus and hearing loss if the person is exposed to a large amount.

The Food and Drug Administration in 2007 prompted drug companies that sell impotence medications to relabel their bottles letting buyers know of the hearing loss warning. Viagra, Cialis and Levitra all have been linked to hearing loss.

There is an easy to combat hearing loss in its early stages, Dr. Henriques said.

"If you are around something so loud you have to scream, use protection," she said.

kbishop@cherokeetribune.com

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