Deafness with endemic goitre

Conclusion

• 1. It will appear that conductive deafness wherever present with or without goitre has a cause for it and it does not bear any direct relationship to endemic goitre. The fact that it is present in the control group indicates that slight amount of conductive hearing loss wherever present is indicative of the incidence of this type of deafness often unsuspected in the general mass of people This is often associated with upper respiratory infections and middle ear caterrah with eustachian tube malfunctions.

• 2. Perceptive deafness, whether present in a pure form or with conductive deafness (mixed deafness), is noted in (3+4)=7 out of 17 cases, appears to be significant as this was present in each case with goitre, diffuse or nodular of an endemic origin. In all these cases there was no other obvious cause and one is inclined to.believe for the present that endemic goitre in certain number of cases gives rise to toxic deafness resulting in loss of hearing.

As noted in the cases studied under series (A) cretinism does not appear to have an association with the type of deafness as discussed above. In any case this is the observation in the present series.