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[Early diagnosis of childhood deafness: detection protocol in high-risk neonates]
G Martín1, J I Benito, M A Condado
1Servicio de ORL, Hospital Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, España.
Insights
Early hearing screening for newborns is crucial for detecting childhood deafness. A study found many cases lacked birth risk factors and were diagnosed late, highlighting the need for universal screening.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Neonatal Screening
- Hearing Impairment Research
Context:
- Auditory assessment protocols for at-risk children.
- Analysis of tympanometry and auditory brainstem response (ABR) data.
- Retrospective study from October 1994 to March 1998.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a hospital-developed auditory assessment protocol.
- To identify the prevalence of severe-to-profound bilateral deafness in children.
- To assess the association between risk factors and childhood deafness.
Summary:
- 17 out of 122 children (14%) were diagnosed with severe-to-profound bilateral deafness.
- Only 50% of diagnosed cases had identifiable risk factors at birth.
- The average age of diagnosis exceeded 3 years, indicating delayed detection.
Impact:
- Highlights limitations of risk-factor-based screening for childhood deafness.
- Underscores the critical need for universal newborn hearing screening.
- Emphasizes early detection to improve auditory outcomes in children.
Abstract:
The protocol developed at our hospital for auditory assessment of children with risk factors for deafness is presented. The results obtained with tympanometry and auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry from October 1994 to March 1998 were analyzed. In 122 children, 17 cases (14%) of severe-to-profound bilateral deafness were found. Only 50% of these cases were associated with risk factors present at birth. The average age at time of diagnosis of deafness was over 3 years. In view of these results, we recommend auditory screening for all newborns as the only effective procedure for early detection of childhood deafness.