Dunmade A D, Segun-Busari S, Olajide T G, Ologe F E
University of Ilorin, P.O. Box 6641, Ilorin 240001, Nigeria.
J Deaf Stud Deaf Educ. 2007 Winter;12(1):112-8. doi: 10.1093/deafed/enl019. Epub 2006 Sep 6.
Deafness, profound hearing loss, is a global problem. However, the causes of, attitudes toward, and management options for deafness differ considerably from region to region. This study seeks to identify the present causes of profound sensorineural hearing loss in Nigeria, which in our environment is almost synonymous to a life sentence of silence and isolation. This is a retrospective survey of children 15 years and below (M = 6.7 years, SD = 3.2). Of the 115 children included in this study, 64 (55.7%) were males, giving a male:female ratio of 5:4. Age group 1-3 years had the highest proportion of hearing loss, 33 (28.7%), and there was a progressive decline in frequency with advancing age. In about a third (34.8%) of patients, causes were unknown, probably congenital. The main acquired causes were febrile illness (18.3%), measles (13.9%), meningitis (8.7%), mumps (6.9%), or severe birth asphyxia (4.3%). Compared to the findings of two decades ago, we conclude that there is no significant shift yet in the etiology of profound sensorineural hearing loss in our environment.
耳聋，即严重听力损失，是一个全球性问题。然而，耳聋的病因、人们对其的态度以及管理方案在不同地区存在很大差异。本研究旨在确定尼日利亚严重感音神经性听力损失的当前病因，在我们所处的环境中，这几乎等同于终身沉默和孤立。这是一项针对15岁及以下儿童（平均年龄M = 6.7岁，标准差SD = 3.2）的回顾性调查。本研究纳入的115名儿童中，64名（55.7%）为男性，男女比例为5:4。1 - 3岁年龄组听力损失比例最高，为33名（28.7%），且随着年龄增长频率逐渐下降。约三分之一（34.8%）的患者病因不明，可能为先天性。主要的后天性病因包括发热性疾病（18.3%）、麻疹（13.9%）、脑膜炎（8.7%）、腮腺炎（6.9%）或严重出生窒息（4.3%）。与二十年前的研究结果相比，我们得出结论，在我们所处的环境中，严重感音神经性听力损失的病因尚未发生显著变化。
