Noise-induced hearing loss and blood pressure.

The study was carried out on 85 workers with long-term exposure to noise levels exceeding 85 dB(A). The control group consisted of 85 workers who had never been exposed to noise levels greater than recommended, i.e. 85 dB(A), in their working environment. All the workers in the exposed group had hearing loss which was confirmed by audiometry. The Mann-Whitney test was used for statistical assessment. The systolic as well as the diastolic blood pressure in the exposed group was increased (P less than 0.001), respectively (P less than 0.01).