Hearing Loss among Prison Inmates in India — A Pilot Study

Abstract

Aims This study was done to assess the pattern of hearing loss and the types of ear diseases causing hearing loss among prisoners in an Indian prison. Materials and methods A total of 102 inmates were studied by subjecting them to a complete ENT evaluation and pure tone audiometry. Results Seventy inmates had normal bilateral peripheral hearing sensitivity while 32 had some degree of hearing impairment. Almost 50% of the hearing loss among the inmates was found to be sensorineural. Conclusion This study supports earlier reports of high incidence of hearing loss among prison inmates. The majority with sensorineural hearing loss were in the younger age group but since this study was not designed to determine the cause or risk factors, this cannot be commented upon. Infective ear diseases were found to be a significant etiological factor for conductive hearing loss.