查看文章

To find out the prevalence and causes of hearing impairment among children of school-entry age, in rural areas of coastal south India.

The study adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines viz., ‘The Prevalence of Ear and Hearing Disorders Protocol’. A total of 855 children studying in the first year of school were examined using a Portable Pure Tone Audiometer and an Otoscope. Children with hearing impairment were re-examined to find out the type of hearing impairment. Mothers of all children were interviewed in their homes, in order to obtain details of socio-economic status, family history and history of consanguinity.

Hearing impairment was detected in 102 children (11.9%) and impacted wax was found to be the most common cause of hearing impairment (86.3%). On re-testing, it was predominantly conductive hearing impairment (81.6%) observed among 74 of these …