ABSTRACT
To determine the otological problems among professional divers in Basrah, and to study the risk factors which might be associated with diving. The retrospective cohort study carried out in Basrah Governorate from November 2002 to March 2003 to detect the otological problems among divers in comparison to non-divers group, and to determine the association between otological problems and some risk factors. The study involved 120 divers chosen randomly from Iraqi Military Navy and Iraqi Port Company, compared to 120 non-divers were matched to divers regarding age, education, residence and years of service chosen from the same units. Both groups were interviewed by the researcher using special questionnaire form designed for the study. Otological examination of the studied group was performed by E.N.T. specialist, while the audio-metric examination was done by audiologic technician. The study showed that 80.8% of divers had otological problems [otalgia 55.8%, itching 55.8%, hearing problems 45.8%, tinnitus 41.7%, vertigo 39.2% and discharge 26.7%]. Otoscopic examination showed abnormal findings in 60.8% of divers [otitis externa 28.3%, otitis media 19.2%, impacted wax 8.3% and retracted tympanic membrane 5.0%]. Audiometric examination showed that 44.2% of divers had some degree of hearing loss, presented as bilateral, mild, high frequency sensorineural hearing loss. The study showed that years of service was the most significant risk factor associated with otological problems. Maximum time spent under water was the second significant factor associated with sensrineural hearing loss. The prevalence of otological problems among studied divers was higher than that among non-divers with a ratio of 2.2