Does the prevalence of otolaryngological diseases in deaf children differ from children without hearing impairment?

There is no enough data about the prevalence of otorhinolaryngological (ORL) diseases in deaf children. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of ORL diseases among deaf children and compare children from a school for the deaf with those attending regular primary schools for the presence of ear, nose and throat (ENT) problems. The subjects were 1,282 children attending three primary schools in the province of Duzce and 572 hearing-impaired children from eight schools for the deaf. Following ENT examinations, ORL findings were statistically compared between two groups using a Chi-square test and P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Upper airway pathologies including chronic tonsillitis, rhinitis, septal deviation and tubal dysfunction, and chronic otitis media (COM) were found to be statistically higher in deaf children than in children without hearing impairment. Although the incidence of middle ear effusion was found to be higher in deaf children, it was not statistically significant. On the other hand, the incidence of impacted wax was lower in deaf children than others. In conclusion, we should have enough data on the prevalence of ORL diseases in deaf children to give a clue to help prevent ORL diseases and if we can detect them early, we can solve the problems before they become more complicated and we can rehabilitate these children better.