Osei Abraham Owusu, Larnyo Phillips Atsu, Azaglo Anthony, Sedzro Theresa M, Torgbenu Eric Lawer
Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana.
Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Sciences, School of Allied Health Sciences, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ghana.
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 2018 Aug;111:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ijporl.2018.05.018. Epub 2018 May 17.
Hearing loss results from a deviation in the perception of sounds in one's environment. A child may have hearing loss at a hearing threshold of ≥16 dB. Hearing loss is among the frequent disorders and affects lots of people globally. Hearing loss negatively affects many areas needed for classroom learning, language development, academic performance, and social development. These consequences can be reduced by early detection with appropriate audiological and speech therapy interventions. In developing countries like Ghana, there is no such laid down formal hearing screening programs for early detection of any signs of impairments. The present study was aimed at identifying the prevalence and causes of hearing loss among basic school children aged between 5 and 17 years at Freetown Basic School, Ho. The study sought to determine the causes and prevalence of hearing loss. Out of the 210 participants, 44 (21%) failed the audiometric screening test. Out of the 44 students who failed the audiometric screening test, 25 (11.9%) had hearing loss across all the test frequencies. Prevalence of hearing loss among basic school children was found to be 11.9%. This shows that hearing loss is not uncommon among school going children in the Ho Municipality. It was determined from the study that the prevailing causes of the hearing impairments may be attributable to abused use of ototoxic drugs and ear-aches and infections with majority of participants recording mild hearing loss. It can be concluded that hearing loss among school going children is preventable if appropriate measures are put in place.
听力损失是由个体对周围环境声音感知的偏差导致的。儿童在听力阈值≥16分贝时可能存在听力损失。听力损失是常见疾病之一，全球有许多人受其影响。听力损失对课堂学习、语言发展、学业成绩和社交发展所需的许多方面都有负面影响。通过适当的听力学和言语治疗干预进行早期检测，可以减少这些后果。在加纳等发展中国家，没有制定正式的听力筛查计划来早期发现任何损伤迹象。本研究旨在确定霍市弗里敦基础学校5至17岁小学生中听力损失的患病率及原因。该研究试图确定听力损失的原因和患病率。在210名参与者中，44人（21%）听力筛查测试未通过。在听力筛查测试未通过的44名学生中，25人（11.9%）在所有测试频率下都存在听力损失。基础学校儿童中听力损失的患病率为11.9%。这表明在霍市上学的儿童中，听力损失并不罕见。研究确定，听力障碍的主要原因可能是耳毒性药物的滥用、耳朵疼痛和感染，大多数参与者记录为轻度听力损失。可以得出结论，如果采取适当措施，上学儿童中的听力损失是可以预防的。
