Incidence of middle ear disease in Indochinese refugee schoolchildren

186 Indochinese refugee schoolchildren were screened for middle ear disease using pure-tone audiometry and an acoustic impedance battery. A control group consisting of 186 American schoolchildren was also screened. The purpose of the investigation was to determine the incidence of ear disease in the Indochinese refugee school population as compared to American classmates. A secondary objective was to establish an effective screening criterion for the refugee population. Results indicated that the incidence of ear pathology in the Indochinese population exceeded that found in the American classmates and in most other studies reported on high-risk populations. Medical evaluation confirmed that low compliance (less than 0.25 cm3) is a sensitive predictor of probable middle ear pathology in Indochinese refugee children.