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Incidence of hearing loss in high risk and intensive care nursery infants
Insights
Early hearing loss detection in high-risk infants using brainstem electric response audiometry (BERA) identifies significant impairment. Approximately 10% of infants show persistent hearing issues, with 2-4% needing intervention.
Area of Science:
- Audiology
- Neonatal Medicine
- Pediatric Healthcare
Background:
- Hearing impairment affects a significant number of high-risk infants.
- Early detection is crucial for timely intervention and improved outcomes.
- Brainstem electric response audiometry (BERA) is a key diagnostic tool.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the incidence of hearing impairment in high-risk infants.
- To compare different programs utilizing BERA for hearing loss detection.
- To identify factors influencing reported incidence rates.
Main Methods:
- Review of five programs using BERA for infant hearing screening.
- Comparison of programs based on population characteristics, BERA parameters, and follow-up protocols.
- Analysis of initial BERA test failure criteria and their impact.
Main Results:
- Initial BERA test failure rates ranged from 10-30%, influenced by failure criteria.
- Approximately 10% of infants exhibited hearing impairment upon follow-up at 2-5 months.
- A prevalence of 2-4% for moderate to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was observed.
Conclusions:
- BERA is effective in identifying hearing loss in high-risk infants.
- Standardized protocols and clear failure criteria are essential for accurate incidence reporting.
- A small but significant percentage of high-risk infants require ongoing audiological management.
Abstract:
The incidence of hearing impairment in high risk infants is summarized for five programs which use brainstem electric response audiometry (BERA) to detect hearing loss in this population. Programs are compared with respect to the following variables which may affect reported incidence figures: population characteristics, stimulus and recording parameters, criteria for failure on the initial BERA test, and follow-up protocols. Between 10-30% of these infants fail an initial BERA test, with initial failure rate largely dependent on the failure criteria used. Approximately 10% will continue to show some degree of hearing impairment on follow-up tests at 2-5 months of age. Between 2-4% will have a moderate to profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss requiring amplification and habilitation.
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