Prevalence of Hearing Impairment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Hearing loss makes a large contribution to the global burden of disease, which substantially adversely affect social and economic development in communities and countries. Due to this, WHO therefore promotes surveys and gathers data for measuring the burden of deafness and hearing impairment. At KBTH, data on the prevalence of hearing impairment is lacking. There is therefore the need for accurate prevalence studies to be carried out in Ghana to enable health organizations and the medical profession to economically analyze the burden of hearing impairment. AIM: To determine the prevalence of hearing impairment at KBTH. METHODS: A retrospective review of the records of 715 patients who visited the Hearing Assessment Centre of KBTH during the periods of January - December 2013 was conducted. RESULTS: Four hundred and seventy four (66.3%) had a significant hearing loss. The highest prevalence of hearing loss was recorded for the age group 60 and above. The overall data gathered suggested that, sensorineural hearing loss was the most prevalent for both the left and right ears, with prevalence rates of 36.7% and 40.5% in the right and left ears respectively. In addition, mild hearing loss was the most prevalent.