title: Ear diseases in elderly hospital patients in Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Little information is available about the pattern of ear diseases in the elderly population. Therefore, the present study aims to determine the pattern of ear diseases among elderly Nigerians, so as to provide an objective basis for cost-effective health care planning for the emerging geriatric population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study of 320 patients aged 60 years or older presenting with ear diseases at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, Nigeria, between January 1996 and December 2001 was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Impacted cerumen was the most common ear disease, occurring in 110 (34.4%) patients of the study population. Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) was the most common infectious disease, affecting 28 (8.8%) patients. Of the 88 patients with hearing loss, 63 (71.6%) had sensorineural, 20 (22.7%) had presbycusis, 1 (1.1%) had conductive, and 4 (4.6%) had mixed hearing loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that impacted cerumen, hearing loss, and infections (notably CSOM), are the common ear diseases among elderly Nigerians.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, MBBS, P.O. Box 6641, Ilorin 240001, Nigeria. foluologe@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Foluwasayo E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Ologe
authors.forename: Segun
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Segun-Busari
authors.forename: Ibraheem S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Abdulraheem
authors.forename: Abdulrahman O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Afolabi
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D001299:Audiometry; D003906:Developing Countries; D004427:Ear Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D038781:Otoscopy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution