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COVID-19 Infection During Pregnancy and Hearing Loss in Infants: A Clinical Study
Rethesh Senthil1, Abirami1, Nikhil Sivanand1
1Department of ENT, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth, Pillaiyarkuppam, Pondicherry India.
Insights
This study investigated hearing loss in infants born to mothers with COVID-19. The prevalence was found to be 0.005, suggesting no immediate impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neonatal hearing.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal health
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Audiology
Background:
- Maternal COVID-19 infection during pregnancy raises concerns about potential neonatal health impacts.
- Understanding the effects of SARS-CoV-2 on auditory development is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of hearing loss in neonates born to mothers who experienced COVID-19 infection during gestation.
- To assess the immediate effects of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on neonatal hearing.
Main Methods:
- A prospective observational study of 1960 neonates born to RTPCR-confirmed COVID-19 positive mothers.
- Neonatal hearing screening using Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE), with repeat testing for failures.
- Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) for neonates with persistent OAE failures.
Main Results:
- Out of 1960 neonates, 380 (19.9%) initially failed OAE screening.
- Following repeat testing and BERA, ten neonates were diagnosed with sensorineural hearing loss.
- The overall prevalence of hearing loss in this cohort was 0.005.
Conclusions:
- The study found a low prevalence of hearing loss (0.005) in neonates exposed to maternal COVID-19, indicating no immediate adverse effect on neonatal hearing.
- Further research with larger cohorts and extended follow-up is recommended to detect potential delayed auditory effects.
- Neonates identified with hearing loss require long-term monitoring for potential effects on cognition and overall health.
Aims:
To find the prevalence of hearing loss in children born to mothers who had COVID-19 infection during pregnancy.
Materials And Methods:
This was a prospective observational study conducted on 1960 babies born to mothers who were COVID positive during their pregnancy .All children born to RTPCR positive COVID-19 pregnant women were included in the study and babies who had any other risk factor for neonatal SNHL were excluded from the study. All the babies were subjected to OAE, and if it came pass, the test was repeated 2 weeks later. Those patients with repeat OAE also as refer were subjected to Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry and findings correlated.
Results:
The study included 1960 neonates who were subjected to neonatal hearing screening by OAE. There were 1020 males (52.04%) and 940(47.96%) females and 80 cases of consanguinity. Fifty babies were excluded due to comorbidities. In the initial OAE test 380 neonates failed (19.9%) following which BERA was done and ten patients was found to Sensorineural hearing loss.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of hearing loss in our study on babies born to mothers with COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is 0.005. Although these primary results from our study does not indicate any immediate effect of SARS-COV-2 maternal infection on neonatal hearing. More children need to be tested and followed up over an extended period of time to detect any possible delayed auditory effects. Those patients who were identified to have hearing loss in our study will have to be on long term follow-up as we see long terms effects on cognition, memory, heart health, etc. in COVID survivors.
Level Of Evidence:
Level 1.
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