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Sensorineural hearing loss in children

R Wormald1, L Viani, S A Lynch

  • 1Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Beaumont Hospital, Beaumont, Dublin 9. r_wormald@yahoo.com

Irish Medical Journal
|July 30, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Hereditary factors are the leading cause of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in Irish children, with most diagnosed late. This highlights the need for early screening programs to improve outcomes for pediatric hearing loss.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Audiology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is a common congenital condition.
  • Identifying the aetiology of SNHL in children is crucial for management and genetic counselling.
  • Previous studies have not specifically focused on the causes of hearing loss in the Irish pediatric population.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the causes of SNHL in children referred to the National Centre of Medical Genetics.
  • To determine the proportion of hereditary versus acquired causes of SNHL.
  • To establish the age of diagnosis and degree of hearing loss in the studied cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective chart review of 129 pediatric patients investigated for SNHL between 1998 and 2006.
  • Analysis of patient records to identify the aetiology, degree, and age of diagnosis of hearing loss.
  • Categorization of hearing loss causes into hereditary, acquired, or unknown.

Main Results:

  • The average age of SNHL diagnosis was 36 months.
  • Hereditary hearing loss accounted for 66% of cases, acquired hearing loss for 8%, and 33% remained unknown.
  • The majority of children presented with severe (31) or profound (57) hearing loss.

Conclusions:

  • Hereditary factors are the predominant cause of SNHL in Irish children.
  • The high average age of diagnosis indicates a significant delay and underscores the necessity of implementing neonatal hearing screening.
  • Further research is needed to identify the aetiology in children with unknown causes of hearing loss.

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