External Auditory Canal Dimensions, Age, and Cerumen Retention or Impaction in Persons With Down Syndrome.

External Auditory Canal Dimensions, Age, and Cerumen Retention or Impaction in Persons With Down Syndrome.

Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 2018 Feb 01;:3489418756678

Authors: Dy AES, Lapeña JFF

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To investigate associations between age, external auditory canal (EAC) dimensions, and cerumen retention/impaction among persons with Down syndrome (DS).
METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated EAC dimensions, cerumen retention/impaction, and middle ear status with pneumatoscopy after extraction in 130 persons with DS. Descriptive and inferential statistics correlated age, presence of impacted/retained cerumen, and EAC diameter.
RESULTS: Of 260 ears in 67 males and 63 females with average age of 9.48 years, 72.3% (188) had EAC of ≤4 mm. Those ≤1 year were 4.97 times more likely to have cerumen problems than those >1 year (95% CI, 1.45-17.02, P = .011). The odds of having cerumen problems with an EAC diameter of ≤4 mm were 3.31 times higher than with a diameter of 5 mm (95% CI, 1.46-7.50, P = .004), and odds of having cerumen impaction were as much as 6.19 times higher (95% CI, 2.38-16.08, P < .001). Male gender and low-lying external ear were also associated with increased odds of cerumen problems.
CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of cerumen retention/impaction in persons with DS compared to the general Philippine population and a higher prevalence rate for EAC stenosis than elsewhere. A canal diameter of 4 mm and below and age 1 year or less are associated with a significantly higher likelihood of cerumen retention/impaction.

PMID: 29426243 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

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