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[Neonatal screening: risk factors and outcome in 4400 children]
Insights
Neonatal deafness screening identified 5 cases in 4408 infants using the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) criteria. Risk registers effectively identify congenital deafness, suggesting mass screening with oto-acoustic emissions is beneficial.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Audiology
- Public Health
Context:
- Neonatal screening for hearing loss is crucial for early intervention.
- The study was conducted in Mestre, Venice, evaluating infants born between 1992 and 1995.
- Joint Committee on Infant Hearing (JCIH) 1990 criteria were used for risk assessment.
Purpose:
- To determine the incidence of neonatal deafness.
- To assess the effectiveness of screening protocols in identifying hearing loss.
- To evaluate the utility of risk registers and potential for mass screening.
Summary:
- A cohort of 4408 infants was screened; 5 were diagnosed with deafness exceeding 50 dB HL.
- Risk factors identified 3 cases, while 2 had no apparent risk factors.
- Etiologies included genetic transmission (2), Down syndrome (1), and unknown causes (2).
Impact:
- Risk registers identified 50-60% of congenital deafness cases, aligning with other studies.
- The study supports the utility of mass screening using oto-acoustic emissions for early detection.
- Early identification of neonatal hearing loss is vital for developmental outcomes.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of neonatal deafness and how effective screening could be in a cohort of infants under the national health service in Mestre Venice. The criteria used in the screening of a population at risk were those established by the JCIH (1990). All the children born between September 1992 and August 1995 (4408 infants) were examined in an attempt to identify risk factors. The children presenting one or more risk factors and those admitted to neonatal intensive care for any reason were submitted to ABR testing. The results were considered negative if the wave V was perceived at an intensity < or = 40 dB nHL. Of the 4408 children screened, a total of 5 were found with a degree of deafness in excess of 50 dB HL. Three children were found to be at risk while two had a silent history. In terms of etiology, 2 children showed genetic transmission, one there had a 21 trisomia while it proved impossible to determine the cause of deafness in the remaining two. As indicated in other studies, application of a risk register makes it possible to identify congenital deafness in 50-60% of the cases. For this reason the authors consider mass screening through the use of oto-acoustic emissions to be quite useful.