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Tympanometry Patterns in a General Nigerian Elderly Population
Abstract
Background: Hearing is known to deteriorate with age. A lot of research is this area has provided much of information on age-related effects on anatomy and physiology of the auditory system. There is a dearth of information on the dynamics of the middle ear of the elderly Nigerian. Most commonly used test batteries for this purpose had been Pure Tone Audiometry (PTA), Echoschreen and Brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA).
Aim: The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of age and gender on middle ear dynamics using tympanometry.
Material and method and results: The present study concerns an elderly population drawn from an old people home (Little Sisters of the Poor) in Enugu.
Tympanograms were obtained in elderly subjects using an Interacoustic automatic impedanz Audiometer SAT 12 Audio-Med. Three tympanometric variables were obtained: static admittance, equivalent ear canal volume and Tympanogramtric Peak Pressure (TPP). Effects of age and sex on tympanograms were determined. Patients were classified using Jerger's method into Type A, As, Ad, B, and C. Most 19 (38 ears) (76%) patient's tympanograms were classified as Type A and Type A subgroups (normal) while 12 ears (24%) had Type B. There were in all 25 patients, 8 males and 17 females ratio 1:2, aged 55 – 90 years. Mean age = 79.2 years.
Conclusion: Our results confirmed that progression in age alone, or gender does not grossly affect tympanometric dynamics but diseases accompanying ageing may effect the changes.
Key words: Tympanometry, elderly, Nigerian.
Nigerian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Vol.2(1) 2005: 17-21
Aim: The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of age and gender on middle ear dynamics using tympanometry.
Material and method and results: The present study concerns an elderly population drawn from an old people home (Little Sisters of the Poor) in Enugu.
Tympanograms were obtained in elderly subjects using an Interacoustic automatic impedanz Audiometer SAT 12 Audio-Med. Three tympanometric variables were obtained: static admittance, equivalent ear canal volume and Tympanogramtric Peak Pressure (TPP). Effects of age and sex on tympanograms were determined. Patients were classified using Jerger's method into Type A, As, Ad, B, and C. Most 19 (38 ears) (76%) patient's tympanograms were classified as Type A and Type A subgroups (normal) while 12 ears (24%) had Type B. There were in all 25 patients, 8 males and 17 females ratio 1:2, aged 55 – 90 years. Mean age = 79.2 years.
Conclusion: Our results confirmed that progression in age alone, or gender does not grossly affect tympanometric dynamics but diseases accompanying ageing may effect the changes.
Key words: Tympanometry, elderly, Nigerian.
Nigerian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology Vol.2(1) 2005: 17-21
