Our Prime Minister Just Got Tinnitus + Hearing Loss

[Rubenslash]

I thought I should share a small story as it's making headlines at most newspapers here in Belgium and pretty relevant for this forum. Our Prime Minister just got tinnitus + hearing loss.

For the article in Dutch including a short video, see: http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnen...ade-op-door-startschot-op-20-km-Brussel.dhtml

English article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...rs-hearing-loss-princess-astrid-starting-gun/

He was standing next to Princess Astrid who shot the starting pistol for the 20 kilometres of Brussels. So I guess 140-150 dB right at his ear. Pretty crazy that no one thought about warning one of the most important persons in our country about the dangers of gun shot noise, it shows there's really no awareness. He is now receiving urgent treatment for the next 48 hours (I guess intra-tympanic steroids and HBOT, there's not much else available).

Staff Addition:

 

[Candy]

Yeah absolutely incredible, astounded, people don't know, haven't a clue, includes me before the T and am pretty cautious...now did the person who fired the shot and the one on the other side get T?

In the UK your average GP would probably not advise HBO or know that it can help with T. They didn't for me...

 

[Rubenslash]

now did the person who fired the shot and the one on the other side get T?

Not that I am aware of but the PM gets most of the attention obviously. You can see that all persons physically react to the sound though. I don't think the woman got hearing damage, she is princess and would also get some attention.

And yes, before hearing problems I think I'd also stand next to a gun without protection being unaware how loud it actually is.

 

[Candy]

Poor guy, hate it when new people join the club, esp. when it was preventable. Was this in the news?
It could subside, sometimes it does in these cases and at least he knows the cause which means he won't be chasing lead after lead...

 

[Bill Bauer]

He is now receiving urgent treatment for the next 48 hours (I guess intra-tympanic steroids and HBOT, there's not much else available).

He is fortunate to be a prime minister. Most of us were not told about our options less than 48 hours into this nightmare.

 

[Rubenslash]

Poor guy, hate it when new people join the club, esp. when it was preventable. Was this in the news?
It could subside, sometimes it does in these cases and at least he knows the cause which means he won't be chasing lead after lead...

Not sure if it was in the news, only became news this evening. It's on all news websites though. Perhaps good for raising awareness although people easily forget if they are not affected themselves. Hopefully it's not too bothersome, because coping with this condition in the first months combined with such a demanding job is not easy.

 

[Jason C]

Not that I am aware of but the PM gets most of the attention obviously. You can see that all persons physically react to the sound though. I don't think the woman got hearing damage, she is princess and would also get some attention.

And yes, before hearing problems I think I'd also stand next to a gun without protection being unaware how loud it actually is.

Yes me too, I remember going to a gun range in Las Vegas and the guys being very serious about wearing the ear muffs properly. I just though it was health n safety gone mad, the guns didn't seem that loud (with gun muffs on) Even the shot guns. Little did I know.

 

[Candy]

Agree...feel for him.

 

[light rain]

Sad for him especially being a bystander. The more prominent people with these conditions the more serious awareness the public pays attention too (possibly). If this guy is a politician though he may downplay it for his career. Which of course would undermine awareness.

 

[vermillion]

He is fortunate to be a prime minister. Most of us were not told about our options less than 48 hours into this nightmare.

Absolutely. And probably performed by the best doctors. Guess having the prime minister as patient would force any doctor to skip the "you just have to live with it" approach. It would be unacceptable. Too bad we are not public figures. Here in Greece after calling the emergency in case of possible death , it would take over 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. There have been reported deaths due to lack of infrastructure and bad timing. For the former prime minister who was bombed two days before, it only took 1-2 minutes. Anyway finger crossed for the PM. He has pretty good chances to obtain a second chance in life.

 

[Zug]

I thought I should share a small story as it's making headlines at most newspapers here in Belgium and pretty relevant for this forum. Our Prime Minister just got tinnitus + hearing loss.

For the article in Dutch including a short video, see: http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/957/Binnen...ade-op-door-startschot-op-20-km-Brussel.dhtml

English article: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...rs-hearing-loss-princess-astrid-starting-gun/

He was standing next to Princess Astrid who shot the starting pistol for the 20 kilometres of Brussels. So I guess 140-150 dB right at his ear. Pretty crazy that no one thought about warning one of the most important persons in our country about the dangers of gun shot noise, it shows there's really no awareness. He is now receiving urgent treatment for the next 48 hours (I guess intra-tympanic steroids and HBOT, there's not much else available).

Does it says he specifically got Tinnitus? I couldn't find this information in the news. The scene is an example of how clueless the world is about hearing loss, but I couldn't find anything about Tinnitus in the news.

Also, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Best,
Zug

 

[Samir]

Welkom Bij De Club! Tinnitus inauguration!

What were they thinking? Wow!

 

[Dutchy]

Gun shots are especially dangerous for immediate hearing damage.

 

[Samir]

Starter pistols produce peak SPLs above 140 dB. The numbers of MPEs [maximum permissible exposures] are as few as five for the .22-caliber starter pistol, and somewhat higher (≤25) for the .32-caliber pistol.

The impulsive sounds produced by starter pistols correspond to MPE numbers that are unacceptably small for unprotected officials and others in the immediate vicinity of the shooter. At the distances included in this study, the risk to athletes appears to be low (when referencing exposure criteria for adults), but the sound associated with the starter pistol will contribute to the athlete's overall noise exposure.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617326/

You are also supposed to hold your arm up high, and preferably move the gun away from your ear. Not that it would have made a lot of difference, but she could have pointed it up high and in front of the row. She is holding it like a candle on Saint Lucy's Day! Totally unacceptable!

 

[Samir]

It's absolutely fascinating to see how the history keeps on repeating, and we keep on making the same mistakes over and over again, generation after generation.

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."

I sincerely hope that he recovers from this! But if he does not, he is more than welcome to register here with us. We can probably give him better support and advice than those clowns in white coats. He will not be the first or the last. Ronald Reagan comes to mind, and Bill Clinton might as well have tinnitus.

 

[Paul10]

Does HBOT stand for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? It seems to have a 61% success rate. GPs really should know this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369993/

Hoping for his/their full recovery!

 

[Lillian]

Certainly hope he recovers. What a nightmare that would be!! You just never know what can happen.
I agree with the above statements. They should have had ear protection....

 

[Bobby B]

The women shooting the gun is a princess

 

[Bill Bauer]

Does HBOT stand for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? It seems to have a 61% success rate. GPs really should know this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369993/

Hoping for his/their full recovery!

HBOT does stand for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Thank you for the link. That paper seem to imply that there is a 60% success rate for steroids for people with sudden onset of hearing loss. However, the studies on the first page of
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/spontaneous-recovery-stats-over-70-recover-3-studies.21441/
seem to indicate that HBOT might be useful for treatment of T due to acoustic trauma.

 

[Alue]

English translation: https://translate.google.com/transl...startschot-op-20-km-Brussel.dhtml&prev=search

Does HBOT stand for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? It seems to have a 61% success rate. GPs really should know this.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3369993/
Hoping for his/their full recovery!

That study was for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss not noise induced hearing loss.

He is fortunate to be a prime minister. Most of us were not told about our options less than 48 hours into this nightmare.

Most of the time I'm not sure if anything can be done. Sure steroids HBOT etc. are worth a shot, but there really isn't any concrete evidence that anything helps.

 

[Foncky]

If he gets hyperacusis from this, he won't be able to go on as a prime minister. As simple as that and scary.

 

[Rubenslash]

That study was for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss not noise induced hearing loss.

Most of the time I'm not sure if anything can be done. Sure steroids HBOT etc. are worth a shot, but there really isn't any concrete evidence that anything helps.

Some explanations have been given by an ENT and he mentions an 85% success rate (http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/wetenschap/1.2992407). He refers to recovery of hearing, not tinnitus. Sounds a lot to me though, not sure where he got his numbers from.

He also mentions that a ringing sound can persist, usually in the background but it can get louder.

 

[glynis]

It's such a shame
Let's hope the PM makes a full recovery as one extra person with tinnitus is one more to many.


Love glynis

 

[JurgenG]

Some explanations have been given by an ENT and he mentions an 85% success rate (http://deredactie.be/cm/vrtnieuws/wetenschap/1.2992407). He refers to recovery of hearing, not tinnitus. Sounds a lot to me though, not sure where he got his numbers from.

He also mentions that a ringing sound can persist, usually in the background but it can get louder.

Indeed, I thought the same.

Any guesses on the decibels btw? I read something like 140 dB?

I hope he recovers and uses some leverage for awareness and funding.

 

[JurgenG]

I wonder about the mayor of the city as well, he flinches quite a lot too. (guy on the right)

 

[Rubenslash]

Indeed, I thought the same.

Any guesses on the decibels btw? I read something like 140 dB?

I hope he recovers and uses some leverage for awareness and funding.

Could be 150-160.

 

[Paul10]

HBOT does stand for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Thanks!

 

[Applejuice]

You see the shockwave coming out of the gun and is straight pointed at his ears. I wish him all the best but he received a big impact on his ear.

But he got 48 hours emergency treatment. All I got was wait a week, wait 3 weeks, go to the ENT (who is available 3 weeks later) who does nothing and I only get psychological help from the audiologist.

 

[Samir]

Some explanations have been given by an ENT and he mentions an 85% success rate

If treatment is started on time, the chance of recovery is around 85 percent, says Desloovere.

He probably just wants to look good in media. He might have received instructions to say something like that. Where is the evidence?

The treatment is not painful, says Professor Desloovere, and it takes an hour or two hours. It is in a room where the pressure is gradually increased, which is comparable to sitting in an airplane, and if the press is sufficiently high, one can breathe quietly through the oxygen mask. Thereafter, the pressure is slowly reduced again.

Wow! The things they now have to put him through... just think about it. An important figure like that. So degrading! I hope he doesn't get barotrauma from this!

Usually the treatment takes ten days, one gets cortisone every day, getting a lower dose and treatment in the pressurized cabin. If there is still no clear result after ten days, the treatment can be extended by five days.

And after that... well, there is always ginkgo biloba...

Perhaps it would be best to just leave the man alone? Just saying! Think about it! Yes, he is an important person (not that the rest of us are not), and yes they want to do their best in trying to help him. But they may be trying a bit too much. They might as well be aggravating his problem. Don't you think?

I can picture the national audiologists and ENT "specialists" jumping over each other to be the first to treat the Prime Minister. It's great that they want to help, but I'm afraid they are ill equipped for the task.

If there is permanent injury, when the hairs are torn, it usually involves relatively limited hearing and a beep or whistle that usually remains in the background, but can be loud at times.

What does he know!?...

I really hope he survives their experimental treatments, that they don't aggravate his problem, and that he makes a full recovery! But regardless of the outcome, what I mostly hope to see come out of this is an increased awareness, and more research funding into hearing loss and tinnitus!

I hope he recovers and uses some leverage for awareness and funding.

Agreed!

It will be interesting to follow this case.

 

[Foncky]

I really hope he survives their experimental treatments, that they don't aggravate his problem, and that he makes a full recovery!

I guess you're being ironic as HBOT is not really what we could call "experimental".