Teresa Martinez, 78 years old, reports that she is having difficulty hearing her TV and needs to turn the volume up. She has been having crackling sounds in her ears. When the physician examines her ears, both are impacted with cerumen
Why is the incidence of cerumen impaction increased for older adults?
a. Increased keratin in cerumen
b. Increased production of cerumen
c. Older adults are less likely to be in the habit of using cotton-tipped applicators to clean out their ears
d. Decreased bathing because of skin dryness, so ears do not get cleaned as often
A
The increased keratin in the cerumen makes it drier and increases the likelihood of it impacting in the ear canal. There is no documentation of an increased cerumen production with aging (response B). Older adults frequently use cotton-tipped applicators. This practice is not advisable because there is a tendency to push impacted cerumen deeper into the ear canal (response C). Bathing and washing the external canal do not affect the production of cerumen or prevent the development of cerumen impaction (response D).
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