Middle ear pathologies in adults within the mining industry: A systematic review

BACKGROUND: Literature suggests that risk factors for middle ear pathologies, such as traumatic injuries and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), exist in mines. However, studies on hearing health in mines seem to focus primarily on occupational noise-induced hearing loss and ignore middle ear pathologies. As a result, there is little documented evidence on the trends of middle ear pathologies in mine workers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore and document published evidence reflecting trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers. METHOD: A systematic literature review of studies that reported middle ear pathologies in mine workers was conducted. Medline, CINAHL, PubMed, PsychInfo and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies in English published between January 1994 and December 2018 and reporting on trends in middle ear pathologies in mine workers. RESULTS: Two research studies met the selection criteria and were included for analysis. One research study used tympanometry with 226 Hz probe tone, while another study used interviews to determine the presence of middle ear pathologies. While these studies indicate that middle ear pathologies exist in individuals working in mines, the evidence is limited. CONCLUSION: While current data indicate that individuals working in mines may present with middle ear pathologies of varying severities, the evidence is too small to provide a clear trend of middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines. Therefore, the current limited data suggest a need for further studies to examine middle ear pathologies in individuals working in mines.