Objective: to asses if children with Down’s Syndrome have a higher prevalence of otological abnormality compared to their normal counterparts in Malaysia.
Methodology: Thirty children with Down’s Syndrome and normal children underwent otoscopic ear examination and Impedance test in the ENT outpatients clinic in University Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Results: The study showed that children with Down’s Syndrome had higher otological disorders. Forty four percent had impacted wax compared to 14.4% in normal children. Twenty one percent of ears in the study group had retracted drums compared to 6.6% of control. Fifteen percent of ears in the study group had middle ear effusion compared to 3.4% in controls, 55% had a type B tympanogram compared to 8.3% in controls and 73.4% had auditory canal stenosis compared to 14.4% in controls.
Conclusion: Children with Down’s Syndrome, thus have a higher incidence of otological disorders.