Hair Color and Hearing Loss: A Survey in a Group of Military Men

It has been shown that low levels of pigmentation increase susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss in humans. for this reason, white populations develop more pronounced noise- induced hearing loss in comparison to black populations. similarly, blue-eyed individuals exhibit greater temporary threshold shift than brown-eyed subjects; still, no strong correlation has been verified between the lightness of hair color and susceptibility to noise-induced hearing loss. this study was performed with the purpose of investigating a possible association between hair color and the degree of hearing loss due to firing noise. study design: prospective observational study. setting: a tertiary referral center with an accredited otorhinolaryngology-head & neck surgery department.