Child Deafness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Experience of Two ENT Services in Casamance, South of Senegal

Introduction: Hearing impairment is the most common sensory deficit at birth. It is a public health problem because of the repercussions on the communication development, on the education and subsequent social integration of the child. The objective of this study was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, audiometric and etiological profiles of child deafness in Casamance, South of Senegal. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective multicenter study, which extended a period of 7 years from January 1st, 2012 to December 31st, 2019. All children aged between 1 to 18 years old and received during their first ENT consultations at the regional and PEACE hospital in Ziguinchor were included. Results: One hundred and seventy-eight records of children were collected during this period, that is a prevalence of 1.30%. The average age was 9 years old. Conductive hearing loss was found in 68% of patients, followed by reception hearing deafness in 24%. The deafness was acquired in the majority of cases (93%) and the predominant etiology was infectious. However, the cause was unknown in 7.51% of cases. Conclusion: Child deafness is common in Casamance and is most often underdiagnosed. The acquired forms are the most common, hence the importance of early detection after a rigorous family investigation.