Long-term exposure of humans or rodents to low frequency noise (LFN) has long been the subject of intense scientific study, leading scientists to investigate its effect on cells and tissues – known as Vibroacoustic Disease or VAD for short. VAD has been observed both occupationally (aircraft technicians and disk jockeys), as well as experimentally by monitoring effects in rodents.
2. Dizziness
Dizziness, also known as unsteadiness, light-headedness or weakness that affects any part of the body, can manifest as unsteadiness, light-headedness, lightheadedness or weakness. Symptoms range from feeling light-headed or lightheadedness to spinning sensations triggered by movements or positions such as standing up or shifting head position. Inner ear issues, motion sickness or medicine side effects are frequently behind dizziness while other factors include viral infections, sinus infections or fatigue as potential sources.
Dizzy spells often occur suddenly and suddenly. They may make you feel as though you are falling or that your surroundings are spinning, often leading to nausea and vomiting as well as severe dizziness requiring you to sit or lie down until they subside. Dizziness could also be an early indicator of serious health conditions like low blood pressure or heart attacks that require prompt medical intervention.
Patients suffering from persistent dizziness often struggle to arrive at an accurate diagnosis due to differing descriptions of their symptoms. Some individuals claim that they are dizzy constantly without thinking it related to work activities; other patients describe their dizziness as occurring “all the time,” without apparent triggers such as positions or activities; often these hyperventilating patients will react strongly when subjected to dizziness simulation tests; brief hyperventilation can worsen and reproduce their symptoms.
Dizziness may be brought on by anxiety disorders and associated symptoms like panic attacks or fear of leaving home or public spaces (agoraphobia). Anemia – which results when there are too few healthy red blood cells – may also trigger dizziness.
3. Fatigue
Fatigue, or feeling tired or exhausted, can severely limit daily activities. Usually caused by physical exertion or emotional strain, fatigue can also be an indicator of certain medical conditions such as anemia or thyroid problems; but if it becomes so intense that it interferes with daily tasks then seeing a physician should be considered an option.
Fatigue differs significantly from being “tired.” Tiredness is often the result of working or attending school all day and will usually resolve with rest and sleep, while fatigue tends to last much longer without improvement through rest alone.
Fatigue can result from many causes, including poor diet and lack of exercise, depression, anxiety or grief, certain diseases such as multiple sclerosis or cancer, fatigue can also be the result of ME/CFS disorder which affects brain and body. ME/CFS often comes on suddenly after short bouts of illness that don’t respond well to rest and limits your ability to perform daily tasks.
Fatigue may not indicate an imminent health threat, but it is wise to consult your healthcare provider about your symptoms in order to find out what’s causing them and learn effective management solutions. They will be able to assess what may be contributing to them and suggest effective solutions.
5. Hearing loss
Hearing loss can vary in severity and is caused when hairs that carry sound signals to the brain are damaged, rendering higher-pitched sounds muffled or making it hard to hear in noisy environments.
A licensed audiologist can assist in diagnosing hearing loss as the result of a medical condition like diabetes or hypertension or due to vibroacoustic disorder. They also conduct testing of the ear canal to see if there’s buildup of earwax that’s blocking hearing or any infection in either the middle ear canal or canal that requires treatment.
Audiologists can detect symptoms such as holes in the eardrum, unusual bone growth or tumor in the outer or middle ear that could be contributing to hearing issues and any signs of fluid in the ear, all which may need medical or surgical treatment.
Long-term exposure to large pressure amplitude noise and low frequency (LFN) noise can lead to Vibroacoustic Disease, an entire-body pathology characterized by abnormal proliferation of extra-cellular matrices. VAD has been reported among military and commercial aircraft technicians, pilots and cabin crewmembers, ship machinists, restaurant workers, disk jockeys and other populations exposed to environmental LFN; its symptoms can include cognitive and neurological impairments as well as cardiorespiratory disturbances.
Four doctors who specialized in VAD published in 2002 an essay detailing its symptoms: mood swings, anger and depression; chest pain, back pain and fatigue; changes to cardiovascular structures; gastrointestinal upset; skin rashes and ulcers; fungal, viral and parasitic infections as well as various illnesses. The same fibrosis seen in VAD patients could also be replicated under laboratory conditions with rodents exposed to LFN.
