Israel Medical Association Journal

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is a prevalent hearing impairment, second only to age-related hearing loss. A change in the listening habits of adolescents may have contributed to the documented increase of hearing impairments in that age group.

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of NIHL among healthy young adults.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to examine audiograms of healthy candidates for the Israeli Air Force flight academy between 2018 and 2023. Hearing tests were performed by an expert audiologist using an audiometer.

Results: A total of 1940 audiograms were analyzed. The age range of the patients was 17–19 years. Using the British Society of Audiology classification, 174 (8.97%) audiograms and 313 frequencies were classified as impaired. The 8 kHz was the most affected frequency, accounting for 116 cases (37%).

Conclusions: Hearing impairment prevalence increased from 1% at entry into the education system to 8.45% at the end, respectively. Detecting hearing impairments early may minimize future disability and may reduce future disability and rehabilitation costs. Hearing screens for young adults due to the change in listening habits of adolescents may prove useful.

Background: Recent studies show a high risk of developing malignancy in patients with Fanconi anemia. The most common solid tumor in this condition is head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and there is often uncertainty and about disease behavior as well as chemotherapy and radiation response.

Objectives: To describe and characterize HNSCC among Fanconi anemia patients on the Israeli Fanconi Registry

Methods: Our study population included patients in Israel's inherited bone marrow failure registry who were diagnosed with Fanconi anemia between1980 and 2016. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from patient charts.

Results: From the collected data, HNSCC was confirmed in 6/111 (5.4%) Fanconi anemia patients; 1 (17%) had classic HNSCC risk factors of tobacco abuse and 4 (56%) had undergone primary surgery. The 3 (50%) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy had mild side effects, while half developed metachronous primary malignancy, and all developed > 2 primary malignancies. The overall median survival of the patients in our study was 14 (0.5–57) months.

Conclusions: Fanconi anemia patients have a very high risk of developing HNSCC. Proactive screening for malignancies is needed for the head and neck regions. We also found that chemoradiotherapy can be used safely in high-stage cancers.