Washington, Oct 6 : Men, especially those who are married, are at an increased risk than women of developing noise-induced hearing loss, says a new study.

The research has been presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA.

The study, which analyzed the audiometric testing data from 5,290 people between the ages of 20 and 69 years indicates that more than 13 percent of subjects suffer from NIHL.

The strongest association was of gender, where men are 2.5 times more likely to develop NIHL than women. Among that group, married white men represent the highest risk group for developing NIHL.

NIHL is a preventable and increasingly prevalent disorder that results from exposure to high-intensity sound, especially over a long period of time. (ANI)