Screening for middle-ear disease in schools for hearing-impaired children.
The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of middle-ear dysfunction in a group of hearing-impaired children attending schools for the deaf. Two groups of subjects between the ages of 4 and 16 years were selected. Group 1 consists of Caucasian and Group 2 of Negroid children. Otoscopic examinations, impedance and pure tone testing were performed on each child. The results indicated a prevalence of 43% failures on the impedance tests in the Caucasian group and 18% failures in the Negroid group. Chronic problems like perforations, otorrhoea, etc. were more common in Group 2. The results also suggest the existence of differences in the prevalence of middle-ear dysfunction between normal and hearing-impaired children.
Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
S
S
Meyer
R
R
Hugo
B
B
Louw
R J
RJ
Grimbeek
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000293:Adolescent; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003638:Deafness / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003906:Developing Countries; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D010033:Otitis Media / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013019:South Africa