[Is diagnosis of persistent pediatric hearing loss still made too late?]

Since 1994, the German Registry for hearing Loss in Children has registered data of 1500 children and by now can present results concerning the age at diagnosis of permanent hearing loss in children in Germany. The mean age at diagnosis is still very high. There is a strong correlation between age at diagnosis and degree of hearing loss, i.e., severe and profound hearing loss, is diagnosed distinctly earlier than mild and moderate hearing loss. On average, mild hearing loss is diagnosed with 6.2 years, moderate h.l. with 4.4 years, severe hearing loss with 2.5 years and profound hearing loss with 1.9 years. This corresponds with the results of regional German studies. At least regionally, in other European countries the age at diagnosis is known to be distinctly lower. In 36% of the children registered in Germany the delay between first suspicion and diagnosis of permanent hearing loss is 1 year or more.