Perte auditive chez les marins pêcheurs français : étude rétrospective sur les données de 7500 audiogrammes
Résumé
High noise exposure levels have been reported among seamen. Few studies have been
conducted on hearing loss in the population of French sailors.
Methods :
We extracted the demographic and audiometric data in French fishermen, performed in
2018 and 2019, during their regulatory visit to the seafarers' health service. We carried out a
univariate then multivariate analysis adjusted on the age, years at work and type of fishing
(big and small fishing). Hearing loss was calculated by the average of the deficits at
frequencies 1,2,3 and 4 KHz.
Results :
Data from 7428 audiometric tests could be included. In multivariate analysis, the risk factors
for abnormal hearing loss were age > 40 years [OR 8.8 (95% CI 7.4-10.3)], seniority of more
than 13 years in the occupation [OR 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.6)] and conversely a significantly lower
risk for seafarers working in deep-sea fishing [OR 0.7 (95% CI 0.56-0.88 )] and offshore
fishing [OR 0.7 (95% CI 0.6-0.8)].
Conclusion :
The fishing activity in France remains at risk of hearing loss and more particularly small-scale
fishing for which the working conditions (versatility, noisy fishing gear, age of the boats) lead
to reflection on collective prevention by improving these ships.