Ear Wax and Hearing Impairment in Children in Nepal

Abstract

The presence of wax is a common finding during ear examination of children and it is one of the main causes of avoidable hearing impairment in children. The objective of this study was to find out the prevalence of wax in ear and evaluate the hearing loss in school-aged children. This is a cross sectional school-based study conducted over a four-year period. Children aged 5-16 were examined by otoscope and pure tone hearing thresholds were obtained at 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz frequencies. A total of 53,970 children from 312 schools of Kathmandu valley were screened. The prevalence of ear wax was 34.64% (n=18697) and hearing impairment associated with wax was 0.88% (n=475). Ear wax and associated hearing loss is a common problem in Nepalese children. Lack of trained personnel and the costs involved in its treatment makes ear wax a big challenge for Nepal's rudimentary health care system.

Pemeriksaan Kesehatan Umum, Mata, Telinga, Dan Kulit Pada Anak Panti Asuhan Di Kota Mataram

“…Meskipun sumbatan serumen tidak berbahaya dan jarang menyebabkan pasien datang mencari pengobatan, namun prevalensinya pada anak-anak yang cukup tinggi, terutama di negara-negara berpenghasilan rendah dan menengah. Penelitian di Nepal pada 53.970 anak sekolah berusia 5 -16 tahun menemukan 34,64% anak mengalami sumbatan serumen (Maharjan et al, 2022). Sementara penelitian di Bali pada 1.366 anak sekolah dasar menemukan 36.5% anak dengan sumbatan serumen (Pradiptha et al, 2021).…”

“…Sumbatan serumen dapat menyebabkan gangguan pendengaran konduktif (Maharjan et al, 2022). Meskipun prevalensi gangguan pendengaran akibat sumbatan serumen ini kecil, namun tingginya prevalensi sumbatan serumen pada anak menjadi salah satu masalah kesehatan yang dapat mengganggu fungsi pendengaran sehingga perlu diatasi.…”

Undetected Hearing Loss Impacts Language Development and Academic Achievement of Indonesian Children

“…Studies in Pakistan show cerumen impaction causing MHL to be between 9% and 20% (Hydri & Siddiqui, 2016). Some minority groups of Nepalese school children show rates as high as 62% (Maharjan et al, 2021).…”

“…The prevalence of cerumen impaction in Nepalese school children averages 34.6%. Some groups that were tested had a prevalence of 62% (Maharjan et al, 2021).…”