What are the Predictive Causes of Conductive Hearing Loss in School-Age Children in Jordan?

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the types and the possible causes of hearing loss in school-age children in Jordan to raise awareness in the society regarding the importance of early identification and intervention. It is based on the results of a tested sample of school-age children in the city of Amman in Jordan. Methods: A sample of 90 school-age children (50 males, 40 females) who failed the hearing screening which was conducted in 40 randomly selected schools. Their ages ranged from 5 to 15 years. Testing was conducted using otoscopic examination, tympanometry and pure tone audiometry screening. Results: It was concluded that those school-age children who presented with conductive hearing loss were the vast majority of the sample (60%) compared to those with sensorineural hearing loss (40%). As for the predicted cause of conductive hearing loss, the biggest cause was most probably due to ear wax (46%), followed by otitis media with effusion (22%), eustachian tube dysfunction (17%), tympanic membrane perforation (11%) and other causes (4%) respectively. Conclusions: Audiological health services and hearing care awareness in the school system in Jordan must be addressed and improved.