This study revealed high prevalence rate of 20.1% in southwestern part of Nigeria. Initial approach includes assessment of predisposing factors and failure of this leads to suboptimal care, recurrence, or inappropriate treatment. Also, minority of the studied patients believed ear is a self-cleaning organ, and they still cleaned their ear.Įarwax impaction is a major health problem worldwide affecting about 6% of the general population and a main cause of primary care consultations and common co-morbidity in otolaryngology clinic. Figure 2 revealed respondents’ perception of earwax as following: 382 (87.4%) believed it is mainly due to dirty and dust in the ear and only 95 (21.7%) believed earwax has protective function in the ear. Predominant factors predisposing to earwax impaction were obsessive ear cleaning and soapy water rinsing of the ear canal during bath in 325 (74.4%) and 268 (61.3%) patients, respectively, as shown in Table 2. Otoscopic examinations showed complete occlusion (80%) of the external auditory canal by cerumen in 317 (72.5%) patients and partially occluded in 27.5%. Right earwax impaction accounted for 43.9% while left earwax impaction accounted for 31.2%. Unilateral earwax impaction (75.1%) was commoner than bilateral earwax impaction. Recurrent cases of earwax impaction were common and accounted for 66.1%. Earwax clinical presentations among our patients were predominantly hearing loss, earache, tinnitus, and ear blockage and were as follows: 277 (63.3%), 268 (61.3%), 234 (53.5%), and 212 (48.5%) patients respectively and as illustrated in Figure 1.
The sources of our studied patients were 39.6% referrals from general medical practitioners, 27.2% family physicians, 18.1% primary health cares, 8.9% from other specialists, and 6.2% self-reporting. This study aimed at determining the clinical presentation, predisposing factors, and perception of earwax impaction among Nigerians. There is dearth of literature on the earwax impaction from Nigeria. The knowledge of the predisposing factors could tremendously reduce the prevalence of earwax impaction and its associated complications. These preventable conditions are predominantly due to human activities that can result in complications such as ear injuries and foreign body impaction in the ear. Ear picking and or its resultant ear infection, abnormalities of external auditory canal, foreign body impaction, excessive earwax production due to anxiety, fear and stress, and aging are among important factors leading to earwax impactions. The habit of toileting the ear using objects which pushes in wax such as cotton tipped swab, pin, and hearing aid predisposed to earwax impaction. Impacted earwax causes discomfort such as irritation, blockage, hard of hearing, earache, noise in the ear or head, and dizziness. Earwax is said to be impacted when its accumulation in the external auditory canal is symptomatic or prevent assessment of the canal and eardrum or both. Earwax impaction is one of the most common ear pathology treated in the otolaryngological clinic worldwide, in the USA, about 6% of the population suffer from impacted cerumen. It gets dries up and fall out of the external auditory canal with a trapped particle by conveyor belt process of epithelial migration assisted by jaw movement during chewing and talking. The antimicrobial activity is due to fatty acid, lysosome, and acidity of the wax. It also provides protection from infecting agents such as bacteria and fungi. It also traps dust with other small particles and insects, thereby preventing them from reaching and damaging the eardrum.
It lubricates the external auditory canal. It is a mixture of mainly 60% desquamated, 12–20% saturated and unsaturated long-chain fatty acid and 6–9% cholesterol.
#Impacted ear wax symptoms skin#
Earwax, referred to as cerumen auris, is a protective normal secretion from the external auditory canal outer third cartilaginous skin gland.
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