Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40059819›Full record

ArticlePrimary health care research & development2025

Hearing loss characteristics and cerumen management efficacy in low-income South African communities: a cross-sectional study.

Sello Marven Manganye, Caitlin Frisby, Tarryn Marisca Reddy, Tersia de Kock, De Wet Swanepoel

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Article in Primary health care research & development, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Sello Marven ManganyeDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-5722-2275
Caitlin FrisbyDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-9922-2927
Tarryn Marisca ReddyDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0002-0056-8486
Tersia de KockHearX Foundation, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-2850-1598
De Wet SwanepoelDepartment of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0001-8313-1636

Funding

NIH HHS 1R21DC019598
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimTo describe the prevalence and characteristics of hearing loss in a self-referred adult cohort in low-income South African communities and to evaluate the effectiveness of a cerumen management protocol within a community-based service setting.

backgroundHearing loss affects 1.5 billion people globally, with a disproportionate impact on individuals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and the elderly, often attributed to age-related factors and cerumen impaction. Despite the high prevalence, access to ear and hearing care remains challenging, particularly in LMICs, such as Africa.

methodsA total of 227 participants aged 43-102 were recruited from two community centres in low-income South African communities for hearing evaluation and cerumen management for those with cerumen impaction. A cross-sectional, predominantly quantitative approach was used.

findingsVideo otoscopy of 448 ears revealed normal findings in 57.9%, cerumen impaction in 29.1%, and other abnormalities in 1.3%. The prevalence of confirmed hearing loss was 97.8%, primarily mild (45.8%), and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) was the most common (55.3%). Cerumen impaction accompanied hearing loss in 28.4% of cases. Post-treatment, 50.9% of participants with cerumen impaction showed normal otoscopy results, with mean hearing improvements of 16.2 dB (±17.9 SD) in the left ears and 15.8 dB (±17.2 SD) in the right ears, though overall significance was limited.

conclusionThe high prevalence of hearing loss and cerumen impaction in low-income communities emphasizes the importance of ear care in primary healthcare (PHC) settings, especially for the elderly. Effective community-based cerumen management highlights the potential of integrating community resources and task-shifting strategies for cost-effective ear care in resource-limited settings.

Indexed as

CerumenCommunity Health WorkersHearing LossAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCerumenolytic AgentsCommunity Health ServicesCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedOtoscopyPovertyPrevalenceCerumenolytic Agentsartificial intelligencecerumen impactioncerumen managementcommunity-based careelderly populationhearing losslow-income communitytask-shifting

Identifiers

PMID40059819
PMCPMC11955542

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.