At least one in 25 people in the Middle East region are affected by some degree of hearing difficulty, said a top official, adding that this figure is higher than the three per cent figure released by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

At least one in 25 people in the Middle East region are affected by some degree of hearing difficulty, said a top official, adding that this figure is higher than the three per cent figure released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its 2012 report ‘WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss.’

“We cannot ignore the region's hearing problem, because it will lead to a lifetime of burden for millions of people suffering from hearing loss. This burden will start from minimal education, limited career prospects and over time, social and financial dependency on family and the state,” added Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health, UAE.

He was commenting on a recent survey conducted by Austria-based Med-El, a leading provider of hearing implant systems, on hearing loss in the Middle East. The survey reveals the first comprehensive statistics on hearing impairment regionally, and specifically in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The survey found that:

•    According to 87 per cent of the region's leading specialists, hearing loss is one of the top five severe health issues affecting people in this region, alongside obesity, diabetes and hepatitis

•    All UAE medical professionals surveyed believe that mandatory newborn screening is needed to tackle the region's hearing loss problem

•    Hearing loss mainly affects children from birth; however most paediatric patients are being treated at three years and beyond. This delay in diagnosis and treatment severely impacts the speech and language development of the child, as well as their education and social integration. 63 per cent of UAE respondents believe that people with untreated hearing loss will be affected most by social isolation

•    Socioeconomic status is not a factor affecting the incidence of hearing loss; however, education and literacy were identified as clear barriers stopping the seeking of treatment. 78 per cent of medical professionals believe education is a key factor determining whether or not an affected family will seek treatment for hearing loss disability.

•    All medical professionals who took part in the study believe that a public awareness is needed to tackle the region’s hearing loss problem.

During the roundtable, Dr Al Rand explained: “The survey clearly highlights the scale of the hearing loss problem in the Middle East. We can now use the findings to build public awareness of a disease that affects so many.”

“The most crucial outcomes of this activity would be to drive home the importance of seeking treatment as early as possible and to encourage the implementation of mandatory newborn screenings across the region. If we can get these messages across, then we will be educating the populations and reversing the trend of delayed medical intervention.”

David F Raetz, CEO and regional director, Med-El Medical Electronics Middle East, said: “We are very proud to have issued this report jointly with our partners in the Middle East. From the results we can all clearly understand what the next steps are to bring about recognition and treatment to a disability that has largely been overlooked.”

“Since opening our Dubai office in the 1990’s, Med-El has been putting lots of effort to help the region overcome hearing loss. We will continue to support our medical partners, both public and private, for the benefit of our patients.” – TradeArabia News Service