Clinicals and Audiometrics Aspects of Presbycusis in Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: Presbycusis is a hearing impairment linked to the normal, natural and psycho-sensory ageing of the auditory organ as a whole. Several epidemiological studies have been carried out on this subject in developed countries. In Frenchspeaking Africa, presbycusis has received very little attention in the ENT literature. The aims of this study were to estimate the frequency of presbycusis and to describe the sociodemographic, clinical and audiometric factors involved. Patients and Methods: This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study carried out in the ENT Department of the Fann Hospital, during a humanitarian mission to distribute hearing aids. The study included all cases of presbycusis. The inclusion criteria were patients aged 50 and over with a deafness of bilateral and symmetrical perception on tonal audiometry. Sociodemographic, clinical, audiometric and therapeutic data were recorded. The data was analysed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) version 20. Results: Presbycusis represented 14.2% of patients who consulted for hearing loss. The sex ratio was 1.3 and the mean age was 68.88, with extremes of 50 and 95 and a standard deviation of 9.57. The consultation time was 9.19 years. Patients with moderate hearing loss accounted for 51.6%. Of the presbycusis patients, 82.03% were fitted with hearing aids. Conclusion: Presbycusis will increase at the same time as the life expectancy of our populations. Its treatment relies on hearing aids, which are expensive, hence the need for public authorities to get involved