The Prevalence of Ear Disease in Sensorineural Hearing Impaired Children Below 18 Years-Old in Deaf Welfare Clinic of Molavi Rehabilitation Center

Objectives: Hearing impairment in children is considered as an important public health problem. Auditory function in these children is poor and depends on their hearing aids efficacy and also their ears’ status. Hearing aids are very expensive and ear disease deteriorates its performance. Therefore detecting the ear disease and offering proper treatment is necessary. The aim of this study is to highlight the prevalence of ear disease in children with SNHL to justify the efforts made to insure diagnosis and adequate treatment. Methods: Eighty children with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss were selected in our study from deaf Welfare Clinic affiliated to Welfare Organization. Otological examination and tympanometry were performed for all these children. Results: The most pathologic finding was ear wax and observed in 37 children (48.7%). Ear discharge was seen in 7(8.7%) children. Normal TM in 63(81.8%), abnormal TM in 14(18.2%) and perforated TM in 3 cases were detected. Discussion: The most common disorder was wax which deteriorates hearing aids performance by clogged ear molds. Middle ear disease which aggravates the degree of hearing loss in one forth of children was observed. The high prevalence of external and middle ear disease highlights the need of regular otological examination in hearing impaired children.