Parental suspicion of hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion.

Full Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
This study aimed to evaluate the parental suspicion of hearing loss in children with otitis media with effusion (OME). As part of a population-based survey in a screening programme among 6- to 7-year-old Chinese children in Hong Kong, OME cases and controls were studied for the value of parental observations in the prediction of OME and hearing test results.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS:
Prior to the otoscopic and tympanometric examination of the children on school premises, a self-administered binary-choice question was sent to the parents asking whether there was any suspicion of hearing impairment. Positive screens and randomly selected negative screens were seen in a hospital clinic for the confirmation of case and control status 2 to 3 weeks after the school screening. Aural examination under microscopy, repeated tympanometry and stapedial reflex testing, and pure-tone audiometry (PTA) were conducted, and 117 cases and 159 controls were included in this study.

RESULTS:
The average PTA conductive threshold levels in the individual children with OME ranged from 3.8 dB to 40.0 dB with a group mean of 17.0 dB in the better-hearing ears. Parental suspicion of hearing deficit was significantly associated with OME (p<0.001) but not PTA findings (p=0.686). The sensitivity of parent-suspected hearing impairment to detect OME however was very low (19.7%).

DISCUSSION:
In other words, if we had relied on parental suspicion as the first screening, at least 80% of the OME cases would have been missed. We conclude that the parental suspicion of hearing loss is inadequate for the identification of mild hearing loss as caused by OME. Health education is recommended to improve parental awareness of the disease.

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Author information

Author/s: Lo, Phoebe S Y (PS); Tong, Michael C F (MC); Wong, Eric M C (EM); van Hasselt, C Andrew (CA);

Affiliation: Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgery and Institute of Human Communicative Research, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR, People's Republic of China. sylo(-atsign-)cuhk.edu.hk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: European journal of pediatrics (Eur J Pediatr), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2006-Dec; vol 165 (issue 12) : pp 851-7

Dates: Created 2006/10/23; Completed 2007/05/24;

PMID: 16862437, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Auditory Threshold
Case-Control Studies
Child
Female
Hearing Loss, Conductive - diagnosis; etiology
Hearing Tests
Hong Kong
Humans

Male
Otitis Media with Effusion - complications; diagnosis
Otoscopy
Parents
Predictive Value of Tests
Prospective Studies
Questionnaires
Sensitivity and Specificity

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