Department of ENT, UNIT-I, Christian Medical College, Vellore 632001, India.
Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:562643. doi: 10.1155/2013/562643. Epub 2013 Sep 3.
ENT problems are the most common reason for a visit to a doctor in both rural and urban communities. In many developing countries, there is a lack of ENT specialists and overburdened hospital facilities. To date, there is no comprehensive study that has evaluated the spectrum of ENT disorders in a rural community.
A prospective study was done for a period of three years to profile the cases presenting to the outpatient clinic in a secondary care hospital and in the camps conducted in tribal areas in Vellore District of Tamil Nadu, India. Trained community volunteers were used to identify ENT conditions and refer patients.
A total of 2600 patients were evaluated and treated. Otological symptoms were the most commonly reported with allergic rhinitis being the second most commonly reported. Presbycusis was the most common disability reported in the rural community. The other symptoms presented are largely related to hygiene and nutrition.
Using trained community workers to spread the message of safe ENT practices, rehabilitation of hearing loss through provision of hearing aids, and the evaluation and surgical management by ENT specialist helped the rural community to access the service.
目的：本研究旨在评估印度泰米尔纳德邦维洛尔区农村社区的耳鼻喉疾病谱。方法：本研究采用前瞻性研究，对在一家二级保健医院的门诊和在部落地区进行的营地中就诊的患者进行了为期 3 年的病例分析。训练有素的社区志愿者用于识别耳鼻喉疾病并转介患者。结果：共评估和治疗了 2600 名患者。耳科症状是最常见的报告症状，其次是过敏性鼻炎。农村社区报告的最常见残疾是老年性聋。其他报告的症状主要与卫生和营养有关。结论：使用经过培训的社区工作者传播安全耳鼻喉科实践的信息，通过提供助听器来康复听力损失，以及由耳鼻喉科专家进行评估和手术管理，有助于农村社区获得该服务。
