Ear diseases and factors associated with ear infections among the elderly attending hospital in Arar city, Northern Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND Changes in the anatomical structures and function of the ear can result in ear diseases, and may affect all age groups including the elderly as a result of aging. OBJECTIVE To identify the frequency and types of ear diseases among the elderly attending Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz bin Musa'ed Al Saud hospital, Arar city, in the Northern Province of KSA, and factors associated with ear infections among them. METHODS This cross-sectional hospital based study conducted from December 2016 through May 2017 included 138 elderly participants. A questionnaire was designed for collecting data about socio-demographic variables, the frequency and types of ear diseases among participants, and factors associated with ear infections among them. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 15, using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square test. RESULTS Findings showed that 49.3% of the participants were suffering from ear disease. Hearing impairment was detected in 37% of the elderly people studied. In addition, 9.4% and 2.9 % of the participants suffered from otitis media and otitis interna, respectively. None of the studied factors had a significant effect on the development and pattern of ear infection among the studied population. CONCLUSION Ear diseases were found among the participants with variable rates. More than one third of respondents suffered from hearing impairment. Ear infections were detected in lower rates. Although these problems are not life threating, they negatively impact the quality of life, and measures are needed for prevention and control.