The role of current audiological tests in the early diagnosis of hearing impairment in children

Introduction: Permanent hearing impairment is a significant and relatively common condition in newborns, affecting at least 1 child per 1000 live births. The early identification of hearing loss is very important in order to begin early rehabilitation and for optimizing normal development of language. Material and methods: We examined 70 children with parental suspicion of a hearing loss. Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry was performed and the group was divided into three subgroups. The following parameters were analyzed: the average age of hearing loss-identification, the time of parental first suspicion of a hearing loss, as well as risk factors for hearing impairment. Results and discussion: Of 70 children with parental suspicion of a hearing loss, in 17 cases normal hearing or mild hearing loss (up to 40 dB HL) was found (group I), 16 children were suffering from moderate and severe hearing loss (40 to 90 dB HL) (group II), and 37% of children were suffering from profound hearing loss (greater than 90 dB HL) (group III). Up to the age of 2, the diagnosis was made in 17.64% of children in group I, in 25% in group II, and in 58.8% in group III. The average age of hearing loss identification was 2.83, 3.32, 2.32 years in groups I, II, III, respectively, although parents suspected hearing problems at least one year earlier. Presence of hearing impaired family members as well as of risk factors were not sufficient reasons to get a medical check-up. Conclusion: The use of otoacoustic emission testing in routine clinical practice, as well as education of parents and pediatricians, was followed by earlier detection of hearing loss in regard to our previous study (10 years ago). The mean age of diagnosis in our region is still over 2 years, but establishment of a universal screening program may help reduce the age of hearing loss detection.