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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Universal neonatal hearing screening and delayed hearing loss or late-developmental hearing loss
Faustino José Núñez Batalla1, Carmen Fernández-Cedrón Bermejo1, Maite Guntín García2
1Servicio de Otorrinolaringología, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
Insights
Postnatal hearing loss significantly impacts children, with a combined incidence of 2.7 per thousand. Early detection of hearing impairment and risk factors is crucial for timely intervention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Audiology
- Public Health
- Otolaryngology
Background:
- Congenital hearing loss is the primary cause of childhood deafness.
- Postnatal hearing loss, often undetected by neonatal screening, represents a significant portion of childhood hearing impairment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of permanent bilateral postnatal hearing loss in children.
- To investigate associated risk factors, diagnostic approaches, and treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of children diagnosed with hearing loss outside the neonatal period (April 2014 - April 2021).
- Data collected from the Hearing Loss Unit of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias.
- Inclusion criteria applied to identify relevant cases.
Main Results:
- 52 cases met inclusion criteria.
- The combined incidence of congenital and postnatal bilateral hearing loss was 2.7 per thousand.
- 35 children had risk factors (23 retrocochlear). Mean referral age was 91.9 months.
- Hearing aids fitted in 84.6%, cochlear implants in 15.4%.
Conclusions:
- Postnatal hearing loss has a substantial incidence, often missed by neonatal screening.
- Factors contributing to postnatal hearing loss include late onset, mild/high-frequency impairments, and false negatives.
- Early identification of risk factors and long-term follow-up are essential for effective management.
Objective:
To determine the percentage of children with permanent bilateral postnatal hearing loss in order to study its incidence, related risk factors, diagnosis and treatment.
Methods:
Retrospective study to collect data on children diagnosed with hearing loss outside the neonatal period in the Hearing Loss Unit of the Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, from April 2014 to April 2021.
Results:
52 cases met the inclusion criteria. The detection rate of congenital hearing loss in the neonatal screening programme in the same study period was 1.5 children per thousand newborns per year, adding postnatal hearing loss results in a rate of infant bilateral hearing loss of 2.7 children per thousand (55.5% and 44.4% respectively). Thirty-five children presented risk factors for hearing loss, of which 23 were at retrocochlear risk. The mean age at referral was 91.9 (18-185) months. Hearing aid fitting was indicated in 44 cases (84.6%). Cochlear implantation was indicated in eight cases (15.4%).
Discussion:
Although congenital hearing loss accounts for the majority of childhood deafness, postnatal hearing loss has a significant incidence. This may be mainly due to: (1) that hearing impairment may arise in the first years of life, (2) that mild hearing loss as well as hearing loss in severe frequencies are undetectable by neonatal screening in some cases, (3) that some children may have false negative results.
Conclusion:
postnatal hearing loss requires identification of risk factors and long-term follow-up of children with hearing loss, as it needs to be detected and treated early.
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