Management of children with co-occurring sleep disordered breathing and hearing loss

To examine hearing loss incidence in a pediatric otolaryngology patients with sleep disordered breathing, and secondarily, identify possible disparities in management.

A retrospective case-control study of pediatric patients with sleep-disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea from 2012 to 2019 was conducted at a private, not-for-profit, academic, tertiary care center. Study parameters were extracted from the electronic medical record and compared in study groups of patients with sleep-disordered breathing generated based on presence of hearing loss (cases) versus absence (controls). Study parameters were also compared in study groups based on timing of hearing loss onset.

14.8% of patients with sleep disordered breathing had hearing loss. Hearing loss was associated with an increased risk of undergoing adenotonsillectomy (OR 1.632 [1.294-2.058], p < 0.001, adjusted for age). In patients who underwent polysomnographic testing, 9.8% patients had pre-existing hearing loss and 12% patients developed hearing loss over the study period. Patients with pre-existing hearing loss and those who developed hearing loss had significantly more visits with otolaryngology compared to controls (p < 0.001). Hearing loss did not significantly delay adenotonsillectomy. More patients who developed hearing loss had adenotonsillectomies (OR 2.475 [1.672-3.663], p < 0.001, adjusted for age) versus controls. This difference was not identified in patients with pre-existing hearing loss.

Patients with evidence of hearing loss in addition to sleep disordered breathing had more adenotonsillectomies performed and more clinic visits. Further work must be done to understand the associations and implications of hearing loss in this population.