Auditory status of persons with intellectual disability at the German Special Olympic Games.
Among persons with intellectual disability, the prevalence of hearing impairments is high. During the German Special Olympics Summer Games 2004, a hearing screening was conducted on 755 athletes with intellectual disabilities. Obligatory screening included ear inspection and recording of otoacoustic emissions, and optional screening included tympanometry and brief pure-tone audiometry. 38.0% of the athletes failed the screening. 53.0% needed ear wax removal. 56.1% of the fails indicated sensorineural hearing loss and 13.6% indicated mixed hearing loss. 12.5% of the fails were caused by unremovable ear wax, 1.4% by ear canal affections, and 16.4% by middle ear problems. Left ear fails were more frequent than right ear fails. A peripheral hearing disturbance can thus be expected in every third subject. The high failure rate, a considerable percentage of previously undetected profound hearing loss (1.1%), and the frequent need for ear wax removal, suggest that nearly half of persons with intellectual disabilities need regular otological or audiological consultations.
Klinik für Phoniatrie und Pädaudiologie, University of Frankfurt, Main, Germany. Katrin.Neumann@em.uni-frankfurt.de
Katrin
K
Neumann
Gabriele
G
Dettmer
Harald A
HA
Euler
Armin
A
Giebel
Manfred
M
Gross
Gilbert
G
Herer
Sebastian
S
Hoth
Christina
C
Lattermann
Judy
J
Montgomery
D000158:Acoustic Impedance Tests; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D003054:Cochlear Implants; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006310:Hearing Aids; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous; D015995:Prevalence