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to press release index Otitis media with effusion (OME) can cause hearing loss
¡§However, the sensitivity of parent-suspected hearing impairment to detect OME was very low (19.7%)¡¨, says Professor Michael Tong, Chief of Otorhinolaryngology, CUHK. ¡§This accounts for why we did not see many patients with conditions of OME. Also, if we rely on parental suspicion alone to identify OME, at least 80% of the cases would have been missed.¡¨ He also explained that failing to make an early diagnosis may cause permanent damage to middle ear structure which results in hearing loss. Children will then prone to higher risks of academic, language and social difficulties. CUHK has been conducting a large-scale research on OME in 6,872 children since 1995. The research was conducted by the Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine. The study revealed that the prevalence of OME in the age-groups 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 are 21.6%, 7.1% and 5.2% in Hong Kong, i.e. the younger the children, the higher the risk they are diagnosed with OME. Comparison between data for Hong Kong and western population shows a similar prevalence of the disease and risk factors. Prior to this on-going epidemiology study, the prevalence of OME was perceived to be low in Hong Kong comparing to the West. Among the risk factors in the CUHK study, children will be prone to OME if they are associated with the followings: atopy, symptom of hearing loss, nasal obstruction, snoring at night, tonsillitis in the past 12 months, and previous history of acute otitis media. In particular, nasal obstruction, acute tonsillitis in the last 12 months, previous acute otitis media were found to be of relatively higher significance. Children who possess one or more of these risk factors are suggested to undergo a screening for this condition. In the second phase of study, CUHK will conduct a long term follow-up of children with OME. This will help researchers to understand the long term consequence and change in epidemiology of OME. |