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Aetiology of deafness in children from a school for the deaf in Malaysia
1Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu.
Insights
Ophthalmological exams identified rubella eye signs in children with deafness, revealing prenatal infections as a key cause. This highlights the importance of eye screenings in understanding deafness aetiology.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Genetics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Deafness aetiology remains unknown in a significant percentage of cases.
- Prenatal infections are a known contributor to congenital hearing loss.
- Ophthalmological findings can be indicators of underlying syndromic causes of deafness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the aetiology of deafness in a cohort of deaf children.
- To assess the utility of routine ophthalmological examinations in identifying causes of deafness.
- To determine the prevalence of specific aetiologies, including prenatal infections and rubella.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 165 deaf children from a specialized school.
- Inclusion of routine ophthalmological examinations as part of the screening process.
- Analysis of aetiological factors including prenatal infections, perinatal complications, and childhood meningitis.
Main Results:
- The aetiology of deafness was unknown in 20% of the children.
- Prenatal infection was identified as the cause in 36.96% of cases.
- Rubella eye signs were present in 35.76% of children, though only 55.93% reported a history of maternal rubella infection during early pregnancy.
- Perinatal complications and childhood meningitis each accounted for 12.12% of cases.
Conclusions:
- Routine ophthalmological examination is crucial for identifying potential causes of deafness, particularly rubella-related eye signs.
- Prenatal infections, especially rubella, are a significant contributor to deafness.
- Integrating ophthalmological assessments into deafness aetiology studies can improve diagnostic yield.
Abstract:
One hundred and sixty-five children from the school for the deaf were screened to find out the aetiology of deafness. The screening included routine ophthalmological examination. Aetiology was unknown in 33 children (20%). Prenatal infection was found to be the cause of deafness in 61 cases (36.96%). Rubella eye signs were found in 59 children (35.76%), whereas the history of rubella infection during the first trimester of pregnancy was found in only 33 of these cases (55.93%). Perinatal complications were seen in 20 children (12.12%). Twenty children (12.12%) had meningitis during their early childhood period. Routine ophthalmological examination helped us to pick up cases with rubella eye signs. Ophthalmological examination should be included as part of any study done to find out the cause of deafness.