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Behavioral Assessment of Hearing in 2 to 4 Year-old Children: A Two-interval, Observer-based Procedure Using Conditioned Play-based Responses
Published on: January 23, 2017
Risk factors associated with hearing loss in neonates
S E Kountakis1, A Psifidis, C J Chang
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Texas-Houston Medical School 77030, USA.
Insights
This study identified key risk factors for neonatal hearing loss, including hyperbilirubinemia and craniofacial anomalies. Some identified factors are not currently in the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing guidelines, suggesting improvements for infant hearing screening.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal audiology
- Pediatric otolaryngology
Background:
- Hearing loss is a significant concern in newborns.
- Established screening protocols exist, such as those by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
- Identifying novel risk factors can improve early detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine risk factors for hearing impairment in a neonatal population.
- To compare identified risk factors with the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing's established list.
- To enhance current infant hearing screening programs.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 50 infants with hearing impairment diagnosed by auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry.
- Comparison with 50 randomly selected newborns with normal hearing.
- Analysis of 18 potential risk variables.
Main Results:
- Five variables were significantly associated with hearing impairment: hyperbilirubinemia, craniofacial anomalies (CFA), prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), and retrolental fibroplasia (RLF).
- Three of these factors (ICU stay, RDS, RLF) are not included in the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing's high-risk register.
- This highlights potential gaps in current screening criteria.
Conclusions:
- The study identified additional risk factors beyond those currently recognized.
- These findings can inform and potentially expand infant hearing screening protocols.
- Incorporating these factors may lead to earlier identification and intervention for neonatal hearing loss.
Purpose:
To identify the risk factors associated with hearing loss in our neonatal patient population and compare them to the ones listed by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
Patients And Methods:
The medical records of 50 consecutive infants with hearing impairment by auditory brainstem response (ABR) audiometry were reviewed retrospectively and were compared with the records of 50 randomly selected newborns that had normal hearing.
Results:
In our review, only five of 18 variables were found to be associated with hearing impairment. These are: hyperbilirubinemia, craniofacial anomalies (CFA), length of stay in the intensive care unit, respiratory distress syndrome, and retrolental fibroplasia. The last three variables are not listed in the high-risk register published by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing.
Conclusion:
The results of this study provide for additional risk factors that may be used in infant-hearing screening programs.
