Acute Effects of Alcohol on Auditory Thresholds and Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions in Humans

Objective—To investigate the acute effects of alcohol consumption on pure-tone thresholds (PTs) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) in humans. Material and Methods—Eight healthy adults were asked to drink alcohol to the clinical intoxication level. PTs and DPOAEs were determined serially before and after alcohol ingestion. Results—Alcohol had no effect on PTs. DPOAE amplitudes above 5500 Hz dropped 30 min and 1 h after alcohol ingestion, returning to the pre-test level 2 h after ingestion. Conclusion—In humans, acute alcohol consumption to the intoxication level may cause a temporary reduction in DPOAE amplitudes at high frequencies without affecting auditory thresholds.

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