Hearing Loss among the Elderly at a Geriatric Centre in South-west Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Aging is an unavoidable process that is connected with several health issues, including presbycusis, a degenerative disease of the cochlear hair cells and central auditory pathways with a resultant reduction in hearing acuity. In developing countries like Nigeria, little attention is given to the elderly population with possible underreporting of presbycusis, hence the need for this study. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate hearing loss, the type, and associated risk factors among the elderly attending a geriatric clinic in South-west Nigeria. Patients, Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study of patients aged 60 years and above in a geriatric centre. All consented participants were given a structured questionnaire to collect important data such as demographics, history of hearing loss, family history of hearing loss, risk factors, and so on. Ear examinations, otoscopy, pure-tone audiometry, distortion-product otoacoustic emissions, and tympanometry were also performed on all patients. Results: Ninety-five participants, comprising 33 males and 62 females, were recruited, and their ages ranged from 60 to 89 years (74.5 ± 7.6 years). The mean pure-tone average was 42.2 dB ± 17.4 and 39.21 dB ± 17.4 in the right and left ears, respectively. About 80% of them have a hearing threshold above 15 dB, with 13 (13.7%) being conductive hearing loss, 48 (50.6%) sensorineural hearing loss, and 15 (15.8) mixed hearing loss. Presbycusis was diagnosed in 37 (38.9%) participants. There was a significant correlation between the pure-tone average and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions results in both ears of the participants (P = 0.0001). Tympanograms were abnormal in 21 (22%) right ears and 27 (28%) left ears. Conclusion: Hearing loss is highly prevalent among the elderly, with presbycusis being the most common type. Periodic hearing screening for the elderly is hereby recommended.