McPherson B, Holborow C A
Int J Pediatr Otorhinolaryngol. 1985 Nov;10(2):115-35. doi: 10.1016/s0165-5876(85)80024-0.
Research was carried out on various aspects of deafness in a West African population. A national survey of childhood deafness was completed to discover the incidence and causes of severe to profound hearing loss in The Republic of the Gambia. A large school screening campaign was conducted to determine the prevalence of middle ear disease in Gambian children. Smaller studies concerned the hearing loss among post-meningitis patients; the disease pattern of audiology clinic patients in both urban and rural areas; the degree of hearing loss associated with otitis media and the rubella serology of a group of Gambian women and children. It was found that meningitis was a major identifiable disease causing deafness. Rubella and measles, often causes of deafness in other tropical countries, did not seem to be of such importance in The Gambia. Familial factors also accounted for little of the childhood deafness as far as it was possible to tell. Chronic middle ear infections could give rise to considerable hearing loss but rarely led to the dangerous complications often seen in other tropical communities. Effective medical and audiological services for the deaf are difficult to implement in developing countries. A primarily preventive approach may prove to be the most rational way of helping the deaf in The Gambia.
针对西非人群耳聋的各个方面展开了研究。在冈比亚共和国完成了一项全国性儿童耳聋调查，以查明重度至极重度听力损失的发病率和病因。开展了一项大型学校筛查活动，以确定冈比亚儿童中耳疾病的患病率。规模较小的研究涉及脑膜炎后患者的听力损失情况；城乡地区听力诊所患者的疾病模式；与中耳炎相关的听力损失程度以及一组冈比亚妇女和儿童的风疹血清学情况。研究发现，脑膜炎是导致耳聋的一种主要可识别疾病。风疹和麻疹在其他热带国家常常是导致耳聋的原因，但在冈比亚似乎并不那么重要。就所能判断的情况而言，家族因素在儿童耳聋中所占比例也很小。慢性中耳感染可能导致相当程度的听力损失，但很少引发其他热带地区常见的危险并发症。在发展中国家，为耳聋患者提供有效的医疗和听力服务很难落实。一种主要基于预防的方法可能被证明是帮助冈比亚耳聋患者的最合理方式。
