Audit of Otological Diseases amongst Elderly in Nigeria

Abstract

Summary Introduction:?Aging process is associated with degeneration in different part of the body There is scarcity of literature on the otological diseases in the elderly black African especially Nigerian which is the largest African nation. Thus this study is done with the aim of highlighting the pattern of otological diseases in elderly for careful cost-effective health care plans and to make the aging period more fulfilling and tolerable to the elderly. It is therefore hope that the information will go a long way to assist other African countries as well. Method:?The study is a ten year hospital-based retrospective study between January, 1999 and December, 2008 at the ENT Department of Unilorin Teaching Hospital Ilorin. All patients aged 65 years and above with otological complaints were included in the study. Results:?A total of 740 Elderly patients were included in the study. The male to female sex ratio was 1.5:1.0.Petty Traders accounted for 300 (40.5%) of cases; 87 (11.8%) were Farmers; 250 (33.8%) were Retired Civil Servants; 68 (9.2%) were Unskilled Laborers and 35 (4.7%) were full-time Housewives. Aural wax impaction was the commonest otological disease found, accounting for 360 (48.7%) of cases, Hearing loss (presbyacusis),158 (21.4%); Tinnitus,78 (10.5%) and Otomycosis,64 (8.5%).Other conditions were CSOM,34 (4.6%);Foreign body Impaction,32 (4.3%); Vertigo,10 (1.4%) and Aural Tumours,5 (0.6% ). Conclusion:?Aural wax impaction was the commonest disease found, thus it is important to always do full audiologic evaluation after aural syringing to rule out other conditions such as presbyacusis and aural tumours in elderly. Continuing medical education is recommended for the general practitioners for early recognition and referral.

Ear diseases and factors associated with ear infections among the elderly attending hospital in Arar city, Northern Saudi Arabia

“…As regards the types of ear diseases among the studied elderly, the current study found diminished hearing as the commonest ear problem among the studied population (37%) followed by otitis media (9.4%) and otitis interna (2.9%). These findings are inconsistent with the findings of (1) who reported that the most common ear disease among the studied elderly was aural wax impaction (48.7%) followed by age-related hearing loss (21.4%) and tinnitus (10.5%), and chronic suppurative otitis media was found in 4.6% of the studied participants. Furthermore, in a study conducted by (16), cerumen impaction was the commonest (30.14%) presentation followed by otomycosis externa (27.89%), presbycusis (24.23%) and chronic suppurative otitis media (11.11%), and in a study carried out by (17), chronic suppurative otitis media was the commonest (25%) problem, followed by otomycosis externa (17.5%) and cerumen impaction (15.3%).…”

“…The ear has a complex structure concerned with maintenance of equilibrium as well as hearing. An abnormality or disruption in the anatomical structures and function of the ear can result in ear diseases and may affect all the age groups including the elderly, as a result of aging ( 1 , 2 ). Aging is a natural process that affects all human beings ( 2 ), and different body systems are affected by the aging process at different rates ( 3 ).…”

“…As age increases, there is degeneration of the tissues which results in increased susceptibility to diseases of the ear such as diminished hearing, impacted wax, chronic suppurative otitis media ( 1 ). Age related changes that affect the ears are commonly not life threatening when compared to age related changes and medical diseases that affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of the body ( 1 , 4 ). Among the common ear diseases in the elderly is hearing impairment ( 5 ).…”

Ear, Nose and Throat Manifestations in Geriatrics

“…They found the incidence rate of phonatory disorders to be 29.1%. Kayode et al (2010) in Ilorin, Nigeria, conducted a ten year hospital based retrospective study between January, 1999 and December, 2008 at the ENT Department of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin. The study included all patients aged 65 years and above who reported to the ENT Clinic (UITH) with ontological complains.…”

Aspectos epidemiológicos da saúde auditiva com ênfase na impactação do cerume em residentes de uma Instituição de longa permanência da cidade de Bauru, SP

“…Ao lado destes, diversos estudos tem corroborado com a sua relevância clínica, principalmente quanto a sua prevalência e as consequências em idosos (CRANDEL;ROESE, 1993;NEY, 1993;MOORE et al, 2002;OLOGE 2005;KAYODE et al, 2010). (BARATA, 1998).…”