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Electromagnetic interference of bone-anchored hearing aids by cellular phones.

No Effects Found

Kompis M, Negri S, Hausler R. · 2000

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Cell phones caused disruptive interference in 85% of bone-anchored hearing aid users, demonstrating measurable EMF effects on medical devices.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers studied electromagnetic interference between bone-anchored hearing aids (BAHAs) and cell phones in 17 patients. They found that 11 of 13 patients who used digital cell phones experienced annoying buzzing sounds when the devices interfered with their hearing aids, with one patient also reporting dizziness and head pressure. While the interference wasn't considered harmful, it demonstrates how wireless devices can disrupt medical implants.

Study Details

The aim of this study is to investigate Electromagnetic interference of bone-anchored hearing aids by cellular phones.

We report a case of electromagnetic interference between a bone-anchored hearing aid (BAHA) and a ce...

Of the 13 patients with some experience of digital cellular phones, 11 reported hearing annoying noi...

Cite This Study
Kompis M, Negri S, Hausler R. (2000). Electromagnetic interference of bone-anchored hearing aids by cellular phones. Acta Otolaryngol 120(7):855-859, 2000.
Show BibTeX
@article{m_2000_electromagnetic_interference_of_boneanchored_3152,
  author = {Kompis M and Negri S and Hausler R.},
  title = {Electromagnetic interference of bone-anchored hearing aids by cellular phones.},
  year = {2000},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11132720/},
}
PubMed: 11132720

Cited By (14 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Yes, digital cell phones can interfere with bone-anchored hearing aids. A 2000 study found that 11 of 13 patients with digital phones experienced annoying buzzing sounds when their phones interfered with their hearing aids, though this interference wasn't considered harmful to health.
One patient in a 2000 study reported dizziness and head pressure when their bone-anchored hearing aid interfered with a digital cell phone. However, this was rare - only 1 of 17 patients experienced these symptoms beyond the typical buzzing sounds.
Hearing aids buzz near cell phones due to electromagnetic interference from the phone's radio signals. This buzzing occurs when the phone's electromagnetic field disrupts the hearing aid's electronic components, creating annoying noise that patients can hear through their devices.
Yes, bone-anchored hearing aids are safe to use with mobile phones. While digital phones can cause annoying buzzing interference in these devices, research from 2000 found no evidence that this electromagnetic interference is harmful or dangerous to users.
Most hearing aid users with digital cell phones experience interference problems. A study of bone-anchored hearing aid patients found that 11 out of 13 users (85%) reported annoying noises when their digital phones interfered with their hearing devices.