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Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 26, 2016
Pattern of childhood deafness in an audiologic centre in Port Harcourt, Nigeria
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
Insights
Nearly half of children visiting a Port Harcourt audiology clinic had hearing impairment, predominantly severe and sensorineural. This highlights the need for community-based studies on childhood hearing loss in Nigeria.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Pediatric Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Childhood hearing impairment is a significant concern in Nigeria.
- Limited data exists on the incidence and characteristics of hearing loss in children in Port Harcourt.
- A private audiology clinic serves as a key point for identifying affected children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of hearing impairment in children attending a private audiology clinic in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
- To classify the type and degree of hearing impairment.
- To assess the feasibility of a community-based study on childhood hearing impairment.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective study of 127 children aged 15 years and below seen between January 2000 and June 2003.
- Demographic data extracted from medical records.
- Audiological evaluation using Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA) and free-field techniques.
Main Results:
- 48.9% of children (62/127) exhibited hearing impairment.
- Bilateral hearing impairment was prevalent (95.2%), with profound/severe loss in 72% of cases.
- Sensorineural hearing defects were common, affecting at least one ear in 90% of subjects with bilateral loss.
Conclusions:
- The study identified a high incidence of profound/severe sensorineural hearing impairment in children in Port Harcourt.
- Findings support the need for a larger, community-based study to establish prevalence.
- Early identification and intervention strategies are crucial for affected children.
Background:
This study was conducted to determine the incidence of hearing impairment in children visiting a private audiology clinic on Port Harcourt, Nigeria, the type and degree of hearing impairment in these children, and to determine if there is any case for a community-based study on childhood hearing-impairment in the region.
Methods:
This is a retrospective study of all persons up to the age of 15 years seen in an audiologic centre in Port Harcourt Nigeria over a 42 month period from January 2000 to June 2003. Demographic data were extracted from the medical records of each subject. Audiological evaluation was performed using standard Pure Tone Audiometry for subjects above 3 years and free-field audiometric techniques for those below 3 years.
Results:
Sixty-two (48.9%) of the 127 persons 15 years and below who were examined showed evidence of hearing impairment. There were 29 males and 33 females (male:female ratio = 1:1.14). Age range was 2 to 15 years, mean = 8.3 +/- 4.6 years. Out of the 124 ears examined, 121 showed evidence of hearing impairment whilst 3 were normal. Bilateral hearing impairment was found in 59 (95.2%) of the subjects with hearing loss. Profound, severe, moderate and mild bilateral hearing loss were found in 42 (72%), 7 (11.9%), 6 (10.2%) and 4 (6.8%) subjects respectively. Ninety-seven (83.2%) of the 118 ears in subjects with bilateral hearing loss have, at least, severe hearing impairment. About 90% of the subjects with bilateral hearing loss had sensironeural hearing defect in at least one ear.
Conclusion:
Most of the cases of hearing impairment in our study were of profound/severe severity. Majority were of sensorineural type. There is the need for a community-based study to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment in the study area.
