Newborn hearing screening in Kuwait

Area of Science:

• Audiology
• Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Permanent hearing loss affects newborns, necessitating early detection.
• Universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) programs are vital for identifying hearing impairments.
• Kuwait's healthcare system aims to implement effective screening protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detect permanent hearing loss in newborns using a universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) program.
• To assess hearing loss incidence in both normal and high-risk newborn populations.
• To evaluate the efficacy of audiological tests in identifying congenital hearing loss.

Main Methods:

• Distortion product oto-acoustic emissions (DPOAEs) were performed on 2-day-old newborns.
• Infants failing initial DPOAE screening at 1 month underwent brainstem evoked response audiometry (BERA).
• BERA re-testing at 6 months confirmed permanent hearing loss.

Main Results:

• Established normative BERA latencies and interpeak intervals for newborns (5-90 days).
• Incidence of permanent hearing loss was 2% in the 'well baby' group (1% profound, 1% severe).
• Incidence of permanent hearing loss was 46.67% in the 'high-risk' group (26.67% profound, 20% moderate).

Conclusions:

• UNHS identified a 2% hearing loss rate in well newborns and 46.67% in high-risk infants.
• Early detection of permanent hearing loss is critical for intervention.
• The study supports establishing UNHS programs in Kuwait and the Middle East.