Otitis Media with Effusion: Its Significance in the Deaf Student

摘要

Otitis media with effusion currently ranks as the most common cause of hearing loss in children of preschool and school age. Otitis media with effusion imposes a conductive hearing loss on an already existent sensorineural hearing loss. Most children with sensorineural hearing losses are dependent on sound amplification equipment (hearing aids) for communication. The loss of as little as 5 to 10 decibels in their hearing threshold due to a conductive loss may take the difference between meaningful utilization of residual hearing for communication and not hearing at all. This conductive loss makes the difference between usable auditory input and useless noise. The etiology of otitis media with effusion is uncertain. Its educational, emotional, and medical consequences, however, are not. Present day medical treatment is questionable and prevention is difficult, if not impossible. This paper explores the extent of otitis media with effusion, its effects, what methods are available for detection, current and future methods of medical management, make recommendations for a screening program for otitis media in schools for the deaf, and propose a study to establish the incidence of otitis media with effusion in the deaf population.