Background

The highest prevalence of chronic suppurative otitis media is seen among children in Greenland. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of hearing loss among school children in Sisimiut, the second-largest city in Greenland.

Material and method

All 423 children from 5th to 10th grade from the two schools in Sisimiut and the nearby settlements were invited to participate. Participants filled out a questionnaire at home with their parents before ear-examination and audiometry. Risk factors for hearing loss and otitis media (OM) related otoscopy findings were analyzed by binomial logistic regression.

Results

A total of 185 children between 9 and 15 years of age (median: 11 years, IQR: 10–13) were included; 60% (n = 111) were girls. Fifty-four children (29%) were found to have hearing impairment using a PTA of 15 dB for either low or high frequencies or both as threshold. When using 25 dB as threshold, the number of children with hearing impairment was 18 (10%). None of the children had hearing aids. Of 355 otoscopies available for evaluation, the majority were normal (n = 249, 70.1%). Perforation of the tympanic membrane was found in six ears (1.7%), of which all were unilateral. Other sequelae related to OM (i.e., circular atrophy and myringosclerosis) were found in 37 ears (10.4%). Children with OM-related otoscopy findings had significantly lower hearing tresholds compared to children without.

Conclusion

A high prevalence of untreated hearing loss was found among examined school children in Sisimiut. Children with otoscopy findings indicating prior OM had significantly lower hearing tresholds compared to children without.

中文翻译：

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格陵兰学龄儿童听力损失调查

背景

格陵兰儿童中慢性化脓性中耳炎的患病率最高。本研究的目的是调查格陵兰第二大城市西西缪特学童听力损失的流行情况。

材料和方法

来自 Sisimiut 和附近定居点的两所学校 5 至 10 年级的所有 423 名儿童均受邀参加。参与者在进行耳部检查和测听前在家中与父母一起填写一份问卷。通过二项逻辑回归分析听力损失和中耳炎 (OM) 相关耳镜检查结果的危险因素。

结果

共纳入 185 名 9 至 15 岁（中位数：11 岁，IQR：10-13）的儿童；60% (n = 111) 是女孩。54 名儿童 (29%) 被发现使用 15 dB 的低频率或高频率或两者作为阈值的 PTA 有听力障碍。以 25 dB 为阈值时，听力障碍儿童人数为 18 人（10%）。没有一个孩子有助听器。在可供评估的 355 个耳镜中，大多数是正常的（n = 249，70.1%）。6只耳朵（1.7%）发现鼓膜穿孔，均为单侧。在 37 只耳朵 (10.4%) 中发现了与 OM 相关的其他后遗症（即圆形萎缩和鼓膜硬化）。与没有 OM 相关的耳镜检查结果的儿童相比，具有 OM 相关耳镜检查结果的儿童的听力阈值显着降低。

结论

在 Sisimiut 接受检查的学童中发现未经治疗的听力损失率很高。与未患 OM 的儿童相比，有耳镜检查结果表明先前 OM 的儿童的听力阈值显着降低。