View report page

Hearing Clinic
Asthma and Allergy Clinics
I am grateful to Dr R Prothero M D L R C P,
L R C S, D C H senior departmental medical
officer for the following report
During the year the allergy clinic was
attended by 126 children. 84 boys and 42 girls
Eleven children were of pre-school age
81 suffered from asthma 24 from pollenosis,
9 from vasomotoric coryza 6 from migraine
3 from urticaria and 3 from prurigo
The general impression is that with more
advances in treatment the asthma problem has
become less serious Yet there was one death
in status astmaticus of an eleven year old boy
suffering from chronic asthma since his infancy
and resistant to all methods of treatment!
INTAL has now replaced the potentially
dangerous medi-haler and remains the most
successful treatment in extrinsic asthma yet
some patients have fallen back on ventolin
(Salbutamol) as the chromoglycates seemed to
become less powerful in action
INTAL too is a strong competitor to
preseasonal hyposensitisation but severe
pollenasthma still warrants this form of treatment
effected with 8-9 injections of alum
precipitated vaccines Six children received
injections of alavac ana during a summer of
exceedingly high and prolonged pollencount
were completely (4 cases) or considerably
relieved (2 cases)
During August and September 1970 there
was an unexpected increased incidence of
asthma in children who had remained free
during the summer and unusually high
cladosporium count was judged responsible
Many children where in the past
parentectorny was the treatment considered
as they were we 11 away from home to relapse
immediately on return are now often found
to react strongly to dermatophagoides
pteronyssinus the housedust mite! Which of
course does not negate the importance of
psychotherapy in childhood asthma
The number of cases seen at the hearing
clinic during the year was 1.246 of which
378 were new cases and 868 were cases for
re-examination
The practice of screening all children
entering primary school by screen audiometry
was continued The children who fail the
audiometric test are referred to the school
medical officer who decides whether the
child should be re tested in the school clinic
or referred for further investigation.

The audiometricians took a total of 573
impressions during the year for use with
hearing aids, 69 Medresco (N H S) aids were
issued during the year and 317 aids were
replaced or exchanged A total of 23
commercial aids were issued 7 post aural
and 16 body worn
The method of distribution and the number
56