Ear and hearing disorders in rural grade 2 (Sub B) schoolchildren in the western Cape.
Four hundred and one children living in rural areas with a high level of poverty were assessed for ear and hearing disorders in their second year of schooling. Overall, only 40.3% of these children had both normal-appearing ear drums and normal hearing thresholds bilaterally; 14% had obstructing wax plugs; 17% had evidence of past acute otitis media with scarring or progression to chronicity--6% having perforations; 31% had middle-ear effusions and/or their sequelae; and 33% had some impairment of hearing but, if the effect of testing in the classroom environment is considered, there was probably only significant impairment in 9%. It is suggested that the prevalence of chronic ear disorders is a useful marker of the quality of primary care in rural communities.
Prescott
C A
CA
Department of Otolaryngology, University of Cape Town.
Kibel
M A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D012424:Rural Population; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology