Prevalence and pattern of audiometric abnormalities and tinnitus among traffic police personnel in Aizawl, Mizoram: A cross-sectional study

Background: Traffic police are chronically exposed to road-traffic noise, a recognized cause of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus; data from north-east India are scarce. Aims and Objectives: The aims and objectives of the study are to determine the prevalence and pattern of audiometric abnormalities and tinnitus and their association with length of service, among traffic police personnel in Aizawl. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study during a collaborative screening clinic for the Aizawl Traffic Police (August–September 2024), 139 personnel underwent pure-tone audiometry (0.25–8 kHz; 3 and 6 kHz not tested), tympanometry, and a structured questionnaire. Hearing loss was defined as a pure-tone average (PTA) (0.5–4 kHz) >25 dB HL in ≥1 ear; a noise-suggestive configuration was a 4-kHz notch or high-frequency sloping pattern. Associations with service length, duty hours, and smoking were tested by logistic regression, Cochran–Armitage trend, and Kendall’s tau. Results: Participants were predominantly male (92.8%), mean age of 42.9±7.5 years, and mean service of 15.2±8.5 years. Hearing loss on PTA affected 16 (11.5%), mostly mild, whereas a noise-suggestive configuration affected 45 (32.4%) and self-reported tinnitus affected 30.3%. Prevalence rose across service tertiles (Cochran–Armitage P=0.031), and crude odds increased with service (odds ratio [OR]=1.06/year, P=0.015) but did not persist after age adjustment (OR=1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98–1.08, P=0.264); the 4-kHz notch showed no service gradient after adjustment. Conclusion: High-frequency audiometric change and tinnitus were common and exceeded frank PTA loss, yet an independent association with service length was not demonstrable after accounting for age. Configuration-based screening, full-frequency audiometry, and hearing conservation are warranted; prospective exposure-characterised studies are needed.