Profile of ear diseases among elderly patients in Sagamu, south-western Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

The elderly constitute a vulnerable group which other people often misunderstand, misrepresent and are potentially prone to abuses and suboptimal care. Ear diseases are important as they may affect the wellbeing of elderly patients and their quality of life. This study took an inventory of the pattern of ear diseases among elderly patients.

METHODS

A five year descriptive retrospective analysis of the clinical information on the elderly patients who presented with Ear Diseases at the ENT Clinic of our hospital.

RESULTS

Data was retrieved from 165 patients and analyzed. Average age was 70 years and females constituted 53.3% of the patients. The three leading symptoms experienced by the patients were tinnitus (84.2%), hearing loss (72.1%) and earache (32.7%) while 57.0% of the diseases affected both ears. The major clinical diagnoses were Presbycusis (38.2%), Otitis (25.5%), and wax impaction (18.8%). Majority (67.3%) of the patients had single pathology while most of the ear diseases affected the inner ear.

CONCLUSION

There was a relatively high prevalence of ear diseases among our elderly patients. The need for proper clinical evaluation of patients with ear diseases was emphasized. The importance of screening for hearing impairment in the elderly patients was also stressed.