Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026
Neuro-rehabilitation Approach for Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
Published on: January 25, 2016
[Hypoacusis after the neonatal period. Situations requiring hearing assessment]
J D Herrero-Morín1, J A Concha Torre, N Fernández González
1Departamento de Pediatría, Centro Materno-Infantil. Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain. josedahm@yahoo.es
Insights
Pediatric hearing loss evaluations outside of newborn screening are often prompted by parental concern or language delays. Recurrent ear infections, genetic factors, and meningitis are significant contributors to childhood hearing impairment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Otolaryngology
- Developmental Pediatrics
Context:
- Neonatal hearing screening is standard, but hearing loss can develop later in childhood.
- Identifying non-neonatal hearing impairment is crucial for timely intervention.
- Pediatric hypoacusis significantly impacts language development.
Purpose:
- To determine common reasons for pediatric hearing evaluations at a specialized hospital.
- To identify prevalent conditions associated with hearing loss in children.
- To inform early detection and treatment strategies for pediatric hearing impairment.
Summary:
- A review of 197 non-neonatal patients revealed clinical suspicion and language underdevelopment as primary referral reasons.
- Nearly half of evaluated children had hearing loss, often linked to recurrent otitis/adenoiditis or genetics.
- Deaf relatives and abnormal phenotypes were key indicators in affected and unaffected children, respectively.
Impact:
- Highlights the importance of evaluating hearing beyond the neonatal period.
- Underscores the need for vigilance regarding recurrent ear infections and genetic predispositions.
- Emphasizes prompt audiological assessment for children with suspected hearing issues or developmental delays.
Introduction:
Because hearing plays a major role in language development, pediatric hypoacusis is especially damaging. The high frequency of hearing impairment in newborns and the need for an early diagnosis have led to the establishment of neonatal screening. Nevertheless, there are other situations which may compromise hearing quality in later stages and it is essential to identify them in order to be able to provide early and effective treatment.
Objectives:
To describe the most frequent reasons for referring patients for hearing evaluation to a third level hospital and to identify common situations that require hearing assessment among the pediatric population.
Patients And Methods:
The clinical histories of 197 non-neonates evaluated for hypoacusis were reviewed. Clinical parameters and diagnosis were compared in patients with impaired and normal hearing.
Results:
One hundred sixty-one patients had no previous known hypoacusis. The main reason for evaluation was suspicion by the family or child minder (53.4 %), followed by language underdevelopment. In the first examinations 78 children had hypoacusis (48.4 %), which was more frequently bilateral than unilateral. In 29.5 % of hypoacusic patients, the disease was related to recurrent otitis or adenoiditis and in 25.6 % it was genetic. The most frequent antecedent was deaf relatives in hypoacusic patients and abnormal phenotypes in children with normal hearing. Three patients with previous bacterial meningitis were studied and two of these had hypoacusis.
Conclusions:
Hypoacusic evaluation outside the context of newborn screening is mainly motivated by clinical suspicion of hypoacusis or language underdevelopment. Other situations such as recurrent otitis with effusion, syndromic phenotypic characteristics or bacterial meningitis are related to hearing problems and therefore require detailed evaluation.
More Related Videos
14:05Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
06:04Systematic Hearing Performance Evaluation Process for Adolescents with Cochlear Implantation at Early Ages
Published on: March 24, 2023