Ear, Nose and Throat Manifestations in Geriatrics

The aim of this study is to present my observation of the common ear, nose and throat conditions in geriatrics, i.e. in the old age patients. This is a retrospective study analysis of 417 geriatric patients that presented at the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital between January 2006 and December 2010. The diagnosis in each patient was based on the history, clinical findings and investigations done on each patient at the time of presentation. The patients were aged between 65 and 93 years with a mean age of 74.6 years. The main presentation of these geriatric patients were otological conditions in 209 (50.1%), rhinological conditions in 118 (28.3%) and then pharyngolaryngological conditions in 90 (21.6%). Some of the common conditions include presbyacusis (16.7%), cerumen obturans (15.3%), allergic rhinitis (14.9%), pharyngolaryngitis (9.8%), rhinosinusitis (8.2%), foreign body in throat (7.0%) etc. With the current improvement in life style, the life expectancy is supposed to be increased. In effect the otolaryngologist is going to be affronted with these challenges.