Hearing loss cited as one of the top five health issues in the Middle East; at least 1 in 25 affected by the condition

Dubai, 15 January 2015 - MED-EL, a leading provider of hearing implant systems, unveiled results of the first survey on hearing loss in the Middle East. The survey reveals the first comprehensive statistics on hearing impairment regionally, and specifically in the United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The survey's results were announced during a roundtable chaired by Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health, UAE, and key MED-EL representatives. They were joined by Professor Dr Abdulrahman Hagr, President of Saudi ORL Society and professor at King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, as well as Professor Ahmed Sameh Farid, General Secretary of the Arab Federation of Otorhinolaryngology Societies (FOS) and former Egyptian Minister of Health.

Dr Hussain revealed that hearing loss in the Middle East is an underestimated health issue, with report respondents estimating that at least 1 in 25 people in the region are affected by some degree of hearing difficulty. This is higher than the three percent figure released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in its 2012 report 'WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss.'

Commenting on this, Dr. Hussain said: "We cannot ignore the region's hearing problem, because it will lead to a lifetime of burden for millions of people suffering from hearing loss. This burden will start from minimal education, limited career prospects and over time, social and financial dependency on family and the state."

The survey found that:

  • According to 87% of the region's leading specialists, hearing loss is one of the top five severe health issues affecting people in this region, alongside obesity, diabetes and hepatitis.

  • All UAE medical proessionals surveyed believe that mandatory newborn screening is needed to tackle the region's hearing loss problem

  • Hearing loss mainly affects children from birth; however most paediatric patients are being treated at three years and beyond. This delay in diagnosis and treatment severely impacts the speech and language development of the child, as well as their education and social integration. 63% of UAE respondents believe that people with untreated hearing loss will be affected most by social isolation

  • Socioeconomic status is not a factor affecting the incidence of hearing loss, however, education and literacy were identified as clear barriers stopping the seeking of treatment. 78% of medical professionals believe education is a key factor determining whether or not an affected family will seek treatment for hearing loss disability.

  • All medical professionals who took part in the study believe that a public awareness is needed to tackle the region's hearing loss problem. 

During the roundtable, Dr Hussain explained, "The survey clearly highlights the scale of the hearing loss problem in the Middle East. We can now use the findings to build public awareness of a disease that affects so many. The most crucial outcomes of this activity would be to drive home the importance of seeking treatment as early as possible and to encourage the implementation of mandatory newborn screenings across the region. If we can get these messages across, then we will be educating the populations and reversing the trend of delayed medical intervention." 

Discussing the report, David F. Raetz, CEO and Regional Director, MED-EL Medical Electronics Middle East, said: "We are very proud to have issued this report jointly with our partners in the Middle East. From the results we can all clearly understand what the next steps are to bring about recognition and treatment to a disability that has largely been overlooked. Since opening our Dubai office in the 1990's, MED-EL has been putting lots of effort to help the region overcome hearing loss. We will continue to support our medical partners, both public and private, for the benefit of our patients."

About MED-EL
Austria-based MED-EL Medical Electronics is a leading provider of hearing implant systems, with 29 subsidiaries worldwide. The family-owned business is one of the pioneers in the industry. The two Austrian scientists Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair developed the world's first microelectronic-multichannel Cochlear-Implant in 1977. The cochlear implant was and remains the first replacement of a human sense, the sense of hearing. In 1990 they laid the foundation for the successful growth of the company when they hired their first employees. To date, the company has grown to more than 1500 employees around the world.

Today MED-EL offers the widest range of implantable solutions worldwide to treat various degrees of hearing loss: cochlear and middle ear implant systems, EAS (combined Electric Acoustic Stimulation) hearing implant system and auditory brainstem implants, as well as the world´s first active bone conduction implant. People in over 100 countries enjoy the gift of hearing with the help of a product from MED-EL.

With presence in the Middle East since the early nineties, MED-EL has become one of the largest suppliers of cochlear implants through exclusive and trusted partnerships with the region's leading hospitals and doctors.

www.medel.com

Press contact
Nadine Abdel Khalek
Impact Porter Novelli
97150 9327016
n.khalek@ipn.ae

© Press Release 2015