LUCKNOW: Nearly one-fourth of schoolchildren in Uttar Pradesh might be suffering from ear disease, a survey has found. The most common cause, in 12.8% cases, for ear disease found in children was excessive earwax followed by middle ear infection (12.6%), also known as otitis media.
According to the survey undertaken by a Lucknow-based health-tech start up called Stufit, 1,000 school-going children in Jhansi, Lakhimpur Kheri and Lucknow were surveyed. Of these, 23.4% children aged between 7 and 14 years were found with an ear disease. During a health camp, otoscopic examination and pure tone audiometry were performed.
Aimed at detecting medical conditions in early stages, the survey showed 32% students complaining of poor vision. Among those surveyed, 40% reported poor or average levels of endurance and stamina. Poor to average oral and dental problems were found in 44% children.
Deafness has been reported to be an important health problem among schoolchildren in India. Statistics indicate that 27.5% of schoolgoing students have hearing and ear-related problems.
The survey found mild and moderate hearing loss affecting 8.5% kids while sensorineural hearing loss affected 2% kids. Only 0.3% of children had severe hearing loss.
Dr Shruti Srivastava, who heads the audiologist team at Stufit, said that children have been exposed to ear and hearing problems from time to time by their parents and teachers, especially during their children’s school years. With its impact on the overall development of the child, it is very important to be aware of serious diseases.
Recommending regular health check-up in schools, director of the start up S Haider said, “Schools should offer a health report card along with a school report card for children. This way, various types of health problems can be dealt with in a timely manner. For hearing problems in children, early detection is very important.”
