Cell phone use ups tinnitus risk
Despite the discrepant results on the health concerns of cell phones, a new study says the device increases the risk of tinnitus or constant ringing in the ear.
Latest figures have revealed that about 10 percent of the world population suffers from tinnitus. Intense noise, head trauma and certain drugs are strongly linked with the ear condition; the underlying cause, however, remains unclear in many of the cases.
According to the study published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine, tinnitus is 70 percent more prevalent among those who use cell phones for more than 10 minutes per day.
The risk was reported to increase to as high as 60 percent in individuals using a phone for more than 160 hours cumulatively.
The anatomical region where the cochlea, the spiral-shaped organ responsible for translating sounds into electrical impulses, and the auditory pathway are located places them at an increased risk of receiving the power emitted by cell phones.
The constrained posture adopted using a phone while walking and talking could also affect the blood flow in that side of the head, increasing the risk of developing tinnitus.
Scientists stressed that even a slightly increased risk following the use of the device is considered as "public health importance" due to the fact that a large number of individuals use cell phones globally.
"Some people have attributed their tinnitus to the sounds generated by electromagnetic fields within modern electrical wiring or power plants. Electromagnetic therapy has also been used to treat tinnitus. This is an interesting study but there are a number of complex factors underlying tinnitus which have not been addressed in the study," said Veronica Kennedy, a consultant and adviser to the British Tinnitus Association.
Source: presstv.ir
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