Bibliographic Details
| Title: |
Otoscopic Abnormalities for the U.S. Population Aged 6-80+ Years: Prevalence and Consequences for Hearing. |
| Authors: |
Humes, Larry E.1 humes@indiana.edu |
| Source: |
American Journal of Audiology. Mar2024, Vol. 33 Issue 1, p209-224. 16p. |
| Subject Terms: |
*CONFIDENCE intervals, *RESEARCH methodology, *AGE distribution, *OTOSCOPY, *RACE, *RISK assessment, *SEX distribution, *HEARING disorders, *DESCRIPTIVE statistics, *QUESTIONNAIRES, *AUDIOMETRY, *LOGISTIC regression analysis, *OTOSCOPES, *DATA analysis software, *ODDS ratio, *EARWAX impaction, *DISEASE risk factors, *DISEASE complications |
| Geographic Terms: |
UNITED States |
| Abstract: |
Purpose: U.S. national data for otoscopic examinations of 13,055 individuals aged 6-80+ years included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey surveys for 2011-2012, 2015-2016, and 2017-2020 were analyzed and described. Method: Analyses were primarily descriptive and relied on prevalence estimates, supported by logistic-regression analyses, and distribution-free medians. Otoscopic examinations were performed by trained technicians with review and supervision by a clinical audiologist. Effects of age, sex, and race/ethnicity were also examined. Results: Overall, the prevalence of abnormal otoscopy was approximately 12%-15% with higher prevalence among males at most ages and for both sexes for age ≥ 60 years. Typically, 93% or more of the observed abnormalities were due to excessive or impacted cerumen, mainly the former. Logisticregression analyses for the 6-19-year-olds found that only race/ethnicity affected the odds with non-Hispanic Blacks and Asians have higher odds for otoscopic abnormalities than non-Hispanic Whites. For 20- to 69-year-old adults, the odds of having abnormal otoscopic findings were about twice as high for males versus females, 60-year-olds versus 20-year-olds, and non- Hispanic Blacks versus non-Hispanic Whites. Overall, the effect of otoscopic abnormalities on the pure-tone averages for 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz and 3000, 4000, and 6000 Hz were negligible (< 3 dB), and this did not vary substantially with sex, race/ethnicity, or age. Conclusion: Abnormal otoscopy, typically excessive cerumen, was observed in about 12%-15% of the individuals in this national sample, but the presence of such abnormalities had minimal effect on hearing sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: |
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