Neonatal Hearing Screening Associated with Congenital Syphilis and HIV

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Health
• Public Health
• Audiology

Background:

• Hearing is vital for newborn development.
• Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening (UNHS) aims for early detection of hearing loss.
• Congenital syphilis and HIV are linked to neonatal hearing loss, yet underreporting is a concern.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of congenital syphilis and HIV in newborns in Greater Florianópolis.
• To evaluate the impact of these infections on hearing outcomes through UNHS retests.
• To analyze UNHS retest data from 2018 to 2022.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cross-sectional study utilizing secondary data.
• Inclusion of newborns referred for Otoacoustic Emissions (OAE) and Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potential (BAEP) retests.
• Data collected from a SUS Hearing Health Care Service (SASA) between 2018 and 2022.

Main Results:

• Out of 1211 newborns referred for retesting, 283 had investigated infections.
• Congenital syphilis affected 170 (59.86%), HIV affected 105 (36.67%), and 8 (2.82%) had both.
• One newborn failed the retest; others passed, indicating screening effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• UNHS is an effective screening tool for neonatal hearing loss.
• Retesting is essential for accurate hearing health monitoring in newborns.
• The study supports public health guidelines for neonatal and hearing health screening.