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Hearing loss in low-birth-weight infants
Insights
Hearing loss affects 9% of low-birth-weight infants surviving neonatal intensive care. Neonatal complications like apnea and hyperbilirubinemia were linked to hearing impairment in these vulnerable children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Audiology
Background:
- Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) provide critical care for high-risk newborns.
- Low birth weight infants are at increased risk for developmental issues, including hearing impairment.
- Long-term follow-up is essential to assess the outcomes of NICU survivors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the hearing status of low-birth-weight infants who survived neonatal intensive care.
- To identify risk factors associated with hearing loss in this population.
- To evaluate the long-term audiological outcomes of NICU survivors.
Main Methods:
- Hearing was assessed in 98 survivors with a mean birth weight of 1,540 g at a mean age of 6.5 years.
- This cohort represented 73% of eligible long-term survivors from 1971-1973.
- Infants with hearing loss were compared to healthy counterparts regarding neonatal complications.
Main Results:
- Nine out of 98 infants (9.2%) had sensorineural hearing loss.
- Fourteen infants had exudative otitis media.
- Infants with hearing loss experienced more frequent apneic attacks, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypothermia during the neonatal period.
Conclusions:
- Sensorineural hearing loss is a significant concern in low-birth-weight NICU survivors.
- Neonatal complications, including apnea, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypothermia, are associated with an increased risk of hearing loss.
- Neither incubator duration nor ototoxic drug use appeared to impact hearing in this cohort.
Abstract:
The hearing of 98 perinatal intensive care survivors with a mean birth weight of 1,540 g was assessed at a mean age of 6 1/2 years. They represented 73% of the long-term survivors with birth weights of 1,800 g or less who had been cared for in our neonatal unit during the three-year period 1971 through 1973. Nine of the 98 infants had sensorineural hearing loss, and 14 had exudative otitis media. During their neonatal period, the infants with hearing loss experienced more frequent apneic attacks, hyperbilirubinemia (serum bilirubin level, greater than 14 mg/dL), and hypothermia compared with their healthy counterparts. There was no evidence that the duration of stay in the incubator or the use of stay in the incubator or the use of ototoxic drugs had affected the hearing of these low-birth-weight infants.