Sensorineural hearing impaired children with unknown causes: a comprehensive etiological study

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Otolaryngology
• Medical Genetics

Background:

• Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children presents diagnostic challenges.
• A significant percentage of SNHL cases in Saudi Arabia have unknown etiology (20-45%).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the etiology of SNHL in a cohort of Saudi children.
• To determine the effectiveness of advanced diagnostic methods in identifying unknown SNHL causes.

Main Methods:

• A study of 302 children diagnosed with SNHL.
• Conventional diagnostic methods were initially applied.
• Further investigations included laboratory tests, neurophysiology, and ophthalmological assessments for cases with unknown etiology.

Main Results:

• The etiology of SNHL was established in 238 out of 302 children.
• Conventional methods failed to identify the cause in 64 children.
• Additional investigations successfully identified the cause of SNHL in 28 of these 64 children.

Conclusions:

• Advanced medical investigations significantly improve the identification rate of SNHL etiology in children.
• Utilizing laboratory, neurophysiology, and ophthalmological evaluations is crucial for diagnosing previously unknown pediatric SNHL cases.