Hearing Loss in Infectious and Tropical Diseases

Abstract

1. A study was undertaken to study the role the infectious, tropical and nutritional diseases play in the etiology of hearing loss. A review of the literature revealed that there was very little information available on the effects on hearing of these diseases. These diseases have a world wide distribution though they are more prevalent is Asia, Middle East and South America. The diseases studied were Typhoid, Chicken Pox, Small Pox and Mumps. 2. The incidence of hearing loss in each of these diseases has been described. The incidence of conductive hearing loss is high is all these diseases — 14.58 percent is typhoid 23.4 percent in small pox, 14.29 percent is mumps. No case with sensorineural hearing loss was found in mumps. In typhoid it was 2.08 percent, in chicken pox it was 4.17 percent and in small pox it was 6.38 percent. From this study it appears that the infectious, tropical and nutritional diseases prevalent is this region are responsible for a large number of cases of hearing loss. The majority of these cases have a conductive hearing loss.