Prakash Budhathoki¹, Suman Thapa²*, Muni Raj Chhetri³ and Ram Bahadur Shrestha⁴

¹Former Director and Head of Curative Division, DHS, Kathmandu, Nepal
²Consultant ENT, Nisarga Hospital, Dhangadi, Nepal;
³Dean, Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, KAHS, Jumla, Karnali, Nepal
⁴Project Manager, NIDR, Kathmandu, Nepal

*Corresponding Author: Suman Thapa, Nisarga Hospital, Dhangadhi, Kailali, Sudurpaschhim, Nepal.

Received: June 03, 2024; Published: July 28, 2024

Abstract

Background: Ear diseases are one of the commonest but under-rated problem, especially in developing countries. Most of the ear diseases leading to hearing impairment and disability are preventable. Proper history, early diagnosis and prompt treatment are the key-factors in managing the burden of ear disease. In Nepal, despite efforts to encourage preventive ear care, there is a state of high prevalence of ear diseases and disability due to overcrowding, poverty and its social implications.

Purpose: In view higher burden of ear diseases, our study aim at determining the prevalence and its determinants in Nepal.

Materials and Methods: 17059 respondents were selected by using systematic random sampling technique from all seven provinces including all three geographical regions. The questionnaire was developed as per WHO guidelines. Data were uploaded using tablets and stored in an excel sheet and finally analyzed using SPSS application.

Results: Overall prevalence of ear disease was 18.8% mostly affecting the age groups of either adolescent or older people. Ear wax (42%) was most prevalent while OM (14.7%) was the commonest ear disease. CSOM was highly prevalent (7.8%) associated with discharging (33.2%) and non-discharging ears (66.8%). OE (4.3%) and ASOM (4.7%) were also prevalent diseases followed by Otomycosis (2.7%). FB ear (0.86%), Ear mass (0.66%) and others (0.06%) were included as minor ear diseases. Occupational and personal behavior along-with ear hygiene habits of the respondents had a direct correlation with ear diseases. History pertaining to allergy, rhinitis, asthma, vaccination and drug or noise exposure were found to be significantly related with ear diseases.

Conclusions: Our study reflected the national level prevalence of ear diseases and its determinants. With a ground reality of high prevalence of ear diseases among the Nepalese population, an urgent attention to address the problem has been a major public health concern.

Keywords: Prevalence; Ear Disease; Hearing Impairment; Ottitis Media; Respondents

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Citation

Citation: Suman Thapa. “Prevalence of Ear Diseases and its Determinants in Nepal: A National Base-Line Survey".Acta Scientific Otolaryngology 6.8 (2024): 34-42.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2024 Suman Thapa. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.