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[Early hearning screening by otoacoustic emissions and auditory brain stem response in Nabeul]
Insights
This study screened 397 infants for hearing loss using evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR). A 1.76% prevalence was found, with correlations to bacterial meningitis and trisomy 21.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Audiology
- Genetics
Context:
- Congenital hearing loss is a common birth defect, affecting 1-3 per 1000 live births.
- Early detection is crucial for speech, language, and cognitive development.
- Infants with identified risk factors require timely audiological assessment.
Purpose:
- To determine the frequency of deafness in newborns and infants under six months.
- To identify correlations between hearing loss and Joint Committee on Infant Screening risk factors.
- To evaluate the efficacy of a two-stage screening strategy.
Summary:
- A two-stage screening using evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR) was performed on 397 at-risk infants.
- EOAE identified 9.32% positive cases, with ABR confirming 1.76% prevalence of hearing loss.
- Significant correlations were found with bacterial meningitis and trisomy 21, though 40% were lost to follow-up.
Impact:
- Evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) combined with auditory brainstem response (ABR) offer an effective hearing loss screening method.
- Establishing robust follow-up networks is essential for successful infant hearing screening programs.
- This research highlights the importance of integrating audiological screening into neonatal care pathways.
Background:
Hearing loss is the most common congenital abnormality with a reported prevalence of 1 to 3 ‰ live births. Early detection and intervention is critical to prevent the adverse consequences of a delayed diagnosis on speech language and cognitive development.
Aim:
study the frequency of deafness in the newborns and the infants under 6 months followed in Tlatli Hospital in Nabeul and to search for correlations with risk factors identified by the Joint Committee on Infant Screening.
Methods:
397 children aged between 04 days and 5 months with deafness risks are tested on two-stage strategy of evoked otoacoustic emissions (EOAE) and auditory brain stem response (ABR).
Results:
EOAE test is positif in 9,32 % of cases (37 children) and the ABR test is positif at 7 of these ; that is 1,76 % of cases. Significant statistic correlations were found with the antecedent of bacterial meningitis (p=0,001) and trisomy 21 (p=0,018). Unfortunately 40 % of the children were lost to follow-up.
Conclusion:
EOAE with ABR provide an excellent procosis screening technique of hearing loss. Such screening implies however the creation of networks to assure patient follow up.
