Current status and distribution of deafness in the elderly in several cities in China

VernacularTitle:中国部分城市老年聋患病情况调查
From: Chinese Journal of Epidemiology 2001;22(1):35-37
CountryChina
Language:Chinese
Abstract: Objective　To survey the current status and distribution of deafness and its effect on daily life activities in the old population. Methods　Eight thousand two hundred and fifty-two elderly aged 60 years and above in the urban and rural areas of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Xi’an and Shenyang were investigated，using a clustered random sampling methods. Results　Overall crude prevalence of deafness in the elderly was found to be 33.7%, but the self-reported crude prevalence was low, only 47.1% when shown by medical examination. Crude prevalence rates were increasing with ageing, with 21.6%,30.0%,35.6%,42.6%,55.5% and 61.6% respectively(P＜0.01) in the age groups of 60-, 65-, 70-, 75-, 80-, 85- years old. Rate of deafness was highest in Beijing(58.5%), among the in-house workers (48.9%) and the lowest in scientists， teacher and health workers (28.5%). Logistic regression analysis showed that the crude prevalence was related to ageing, profession and area (P respective ＜0.01). Conclusion　The prevalence of deafness was high in the elderly which increased with ageing with different areas, professions and the level of education. It was lower when self-reported than shown by medical examination. Prevention and treatment of deafness in the elderly should be strengthened.