Early management of presbycusis: recommendations from the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, the French Society of Audiology, and the French Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology.

INTRODUCTION: Presbycusis is the physiological decrease in hearing due to advancing age and begins well before the sixth decade. These recommendations recall the principles of early diagnosis of presbycusis and the means of optimal rehabilitation as soon as the first symptoms appear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The recommendations are based on a systematic analysis of the literature carried out by a multidisciplinary group of ENT physicians, audiologists, geriatricians and hearing specialists from all over France. They are classified as grade A, B, C or professional agreement according to a decreasing level of scientific evidence. RESULTS: The diagnosis of presbycusis is more difficult at the beginning of its evolution but a certain number of tools are available for its early diagnosis and its face-to-face or remote management. CONCLUSION: In the case of a clinical profile suggestive of presbycusis in a young subject, especially if there are several family cases, it is recommended to propose a genetic investigation. Free-field speech audiometry in noise is recommended to measure intelligibility in a realistic environment. Questionnaires in addition to audiometric tests would allow the best assessment of the patient's disability. Hearing rehabilitation with a hearing aid or cochlear implant may slow or prevent cognitive decline. Combined auditory and cognitive rehabilitation should be offered regardless of the time since the hearing was fitting. It is recommended to integrate programs accessible via smartphones, tablets or the Internet, that include different training domains to complement face-to-face sessions.

[Early management of presbycusis: recommendations from the French Society of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, the French Society of Audiology, and the French Society of Geriatrics and Gerontology]. / Recommandations de la Société française d'otorhinolaryngologie et de chirurgie de la face et du cou, la Société française d'audiologie et la Société française de gériatrie et gérontologie pour la prise en charge précoce de la presbyacousie.

INTRODUCTION: Presbycusis is the physiological decrease in hearing due to advancing age and begins well before the sixth decade. These recommendations recall the principles of early diagnosis of presbycusis and the means of optimal rehabilitation as soon as the first symptoms appear. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The recommendations are based on a systematic analysis of the literature carried out by a multidisciplinary group of doctors and audioprosthetists from all over France. They are graded A, B, C or expert opinion according to decreasing level of scientific evidence. RESULTS: The diagnosis of presbycusis is more difficult at the beginning of its evolution but a certain number of tools are available for its early diagnosis and its management in face-to-face or even distance learning. CONCLUSION: In case of a clinical profile suggestive of presbycusis in a young subject, especially if there are several family cases, it is recommended to propose a genetic investigation. It is recommended to perform free-field speech audiometry in noise to measure intelligibility in an environment as close as possible to reality. Questionnaires can be used in addition to audiometry to best assess the patient's disability. It is recommended that hearing rehabilitation with a hearing aid or cochlear implant may slow or prevent cognitive decline. Combined auditory and cognitive rehabilitation should be offered regardless of the time elapsed since the fitting. It is recommended to integrate programs accessible via smartphones, tablets or the Internet, integrating different training domains in addition to face-to-face sessions.

Monopolar electrocautery tip vs plasma ablation in tonsillotomy: A randomized case-control study comparing outcomes in pediatric population.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to compare the low-priced monopolar electrocautery to the high-priced, worldwide used, plasma ablation in tonsillotomy among children aged between three and twelve years, suffering from obstructive breathing disorders (OBD), with respect to post-operative pain, bleeding and related morbidities. METHODS: A randomized case-control study was conducted in the Eye and Ear Hospital International- Lebanon. 103 children aged between three and twelve years suffering from OBD secondary to tonsillar hypertrophy were randomly assigned into two groups. Post-operative pain was evaluated using age-adequate validated scales: "FLACC-R" (Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability-Revised) for children aged less than five years, and "Wong Baker faces" for older children. Additional post-operative outcomes were evaluated using Pain-PROM (Patient reported Pain-Related Outcome Measures) and TAHSI (Tonsil and Adenoid Health Status Instrument) scales. RESULTS: Significantly, higher rates of patients who underwent tonsillotomy via plasma ablation technique used analgesics and had severe pain compared to the monopolar electrocautery group. A longer operative duration was significantly associated with higher pain scores, and the plasma ablation technique yielded significantly higher operative mean durations. 10 days post-operatively, a significantly higher percentage of children reported an overall high pain severity and more than expected overall pain when using the plasma ablation technique compared to the monopolar electrocautery one. Overall bleeding rates were similar. No difference was reported one month post-operatively. CONCLUSION: When compared to plasma ablation, monopolar electrocautery, can provide the same efficiency in relieving OBD in healthy children, with equal overall bleeding rates, but significantly lower cost, operating time, pain scores and need for analgesics.

Immunopathological features of air pollution and its impact on inflammatory airway diseases (IAD).

Air pollution causes significant morbidity and mortality in patients with inflammatory airway diseases (IAD) such as allergic rhinitis (AR), chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Oxidative stress in patients with IAD can induce eosinophilic inflammation in the airways, augment atopic allergic sensitization, and increase susceptibility to infection. We reviewed emerging data depicting the involvement of oxidative stress in IAD patients. We evaluated biomarkers, outcome measures and immunopathological alterations across the airway mucosal barrier following exposure, particularly when accentuated by an infectious insult.

International expert consensus on the management of allergic rhinitis (AR) aggravated by air pollutants: Impact of air pollution on patients with AR: Current knowledge and future strategies.

Allergic rhinitis affects the quality of life of millions of people worldwide. Air pollution not only causes morbidity, but nearly 3 million people per year die from unhealthy indoor air exposure. Furthermore, allergic rhinitis and air pollution interact. This report summarizes the discussion of an International Expert Consensus on the management of allergic rhinitis aggravated by air pollution. The report begins with a review of indoor and outdoor air pollutants followed by epidemiologic evidence showing the impact of air pollution and climate change on the upper airway and allergic rhinitis. Mechanisms, particularly oxidative stress, potentially explaining the interactions between air pollution and allergic rhinitis are discussed. Treatment for the management of allergic rhinitis aggravated by air pollution primarily involves treating allergic rhinitis by guidelines and reducing exposure to pollutants. Fexofenadine a non-sedating oral antihistamine improves AR symptoms aggravated by air pollution. However, more efficacy studies on other pharmacological therapy of coexisting AR and air pollution are currently lacking.