Prevalence of Age Related Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Elderly Patients Receiving ENT Services At Muhimbili National Hospital

Abstract

Background: Age related SNHL in elderly, is a progressive, usually bilateral hearing loss that occurs in older people as they age. It is eminently correctable using rehabilitative hearing devices, and its successful correction can vastly improve the older person’s quality of life. There has been no study done to show the magnitude of age related SNHL in elderly in our country. Objective: To determine the prevalence of age related SNHL among elderly patients receiving ENT services at the MNH, Dar es salaam, Tanzania. Study design Hospital-based, descriptive cross sectional study Methodology: This study included elderly with minimum age of 50 years and above. A total of 380 elderly patients who received ENT services at the ENT clinic at MNH from June 2016 to December 2016, through convenient sampling were enrolled to participate in this study. Participants were screened on hearing loss and interviewed by the structured questionnaire followed by otoscopic examination, and PTA. All information obtained was entered in computer and analyzed using SPSS version 20 software. A PTA with slopping pattern at higher frequencies was taken as age related SNHL. Chi-square test was used to determine the differences among different groups, and linear regression analysis done to determine the contribution of risk factors. Results: This study included 380 elderly participants receiving ENT services at MNH, 182(47.9%) males, and 198 (52.1%) females. The prevalence of age related SNHL was 27.6%, males mostly affected 57(31.3%) p= 0.574. A statistically significant bilateral age related SNHL was found 90 (85.7%) p= 0.026, and the severity of age related SNHL was found to increase as age increase. No statistical significance in contribution of the risk factors was found, P>0.05 Conclusion and recommendations: Findings corresponded to several other literatures that prevalence of age related SNHL among elderly is high, mostly bilateral, and its severity increases with age, with the oldest age groups having the most severe hearing loss. Confounding factors such as duration of hypertension, DM and of cigarette smoking and the amount smoked, the dose of ototoxic medication used may have contributed to differences compared to other studies. Further studies that will address these factors at MNH are needed.