Vol.97 No.4 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 97 No. 4 April 2004
An Epidemiological Study on Deafness in
Patients with Mumps
Toshio Ishikawa and Keiichi Ichimura
(Jichi Medical School)
The clinical features of 14 patients with deafness due to mumps who underwent treatment in Jichi Medical School Hospital from April 1993 to March 2003 were reviewed. The diagnosis was made according to the criteria for diagnosis of mumps deafness determined by the Acute Profound Deafness Committee set up by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Japan.
The number of patients with mumps has gradually increased since 2000, and the number of patients in 2002 was about 3 times greater than that in 2000.
The age distribution of the patients in our hospital was 3 to 34 years old and half of the patients were 5 to 9 years old. The onset time of hearing loss in 10 cases was within 8 days after the appearance of parotid swelling. All 14 patients had unilateral total deafness or profound sensorineural hearing loss. Nine were treated with corticosteroids. Hearing loss did not improve after treatment in any patient. The importance of mumps vaccination should be reconsidered.
Key words : mumps, clinical features, mumps deafness, mumps vaccine