Some Geographical Aspects of Neuro-otology with Particular Reference to the African

Abstract

The African appears to show a different pattern of neuro-otological disorders than the European. This is probably due to exposure to a different set of geogens. However, bearing in mind the possibility that there may be differences in the basic hearing levels for high frequencies, there are the possibilities of genetic factors operating. Poorer hearing levels in a Jamaican population were shown to be associated with the neurological and ophthalmological defects that characterize the ataxic type of Jamaican neuropathy, which is possibly identical with the ataxic neuromyelopathy that Money (1959) and Osuntokun (1968) have described in Nigeria. Analysis of the Jamaican audiograms showed a variety of patterns, including the type reported by Osuntokun for a case of ataxic neuromyelopathy in Nigeria. Judging from the experience gained in the Jamaican studies, it would appear that any worthwhile population audiological study must now encompass neurological, ophthalmological and cardiological examinations