Objective: Aim of the study was to assess the mean age at diagnosis of bilateral congenital hearing loss in the Audiology and Phoniatry Centre of the University of Turin, pointing out, by North-West Italy experience, the role of the newborn hearing screening in anticipating the age of diagnosis. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Forty-six congenital deaf babies were reviewed and age at diagnosis was assessed for each, taking in consideration the role of hearing loss risk factors. Eighteen babies (39%) were sent by the centres that participate to the newborn hearing screening program while 28 (61%) came for parental or pediatrician suspicion of hearing loss and for general language delay. Sixteen babies (35%) presented risk factors for hearing loss. Results: The mean age of identification of severe to profound hearing loss was 20.5 months (S.D.= 15.3) in the whole group; considering the group of 28 babies not screened the mean age was 29.3 months (S.D.= 13.4). This value decreased to 6.8 months (S.D.= 3.6) in the group which underwent screening programme. This difference was statistically significant at Student's t-test (p < 0.001). The average ages of diagnosis for healthy versus high risk children were significantly different only in the group of screened babies (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Childhood hearing impairment is one of the most common of congenital disorders, and even though there is a general trend of early identification, in reality age of diagnosis is as yet still too late even in developed countries. Our results show that newborn hearing screening could reduce the age at which infants with hearing loss are diagnosed and treated; this would improve speech, language, auditory outcome and the quality of parents and infant life. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Age at diagnosis of deaf babies: A retrospective analysis highlighting the advantage of newborn hearing screening / A. Canale, E. Favero, M. Lacilla, E. Recchia, A. Schindler, N. Roggero, R. Albera. - In: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGY. - ISSN 0165-5876. - 70:7(2006 Jul), pp. 1283-1289. [10.1016/j.ijporl.2006.01.008]

Age at diagnosis of deaf babies: A retrospective analysis highlighting the advantage of newborn hearing screening

A. Schindler;
2006

Abstract

Objective: Aim of the study was to assess the mean age at diagnosis of bilateral congenital hearing loss in the Audiology and Phoniatry Centre of the University of Turin, pointing out, by North-West Italy experience, the role of the newborn hearing screening in anticipating the age of diagnosis. Methods: This was a retrospective study. Forty-six congenital deaf babies were reviewed and age at diagnosis was assessed for each, taking in consideration the role of hearing loss risk factors. Eighteen babies (39%) were sent by the centres that participate to the newborn hearing screening program while 28 (61%) came for parental or pediatrician suspicion of hearing loss and for general language delay. Sixteen babies (35%) presented risk factors for hearing loss. Results: The mean age of identification of severe to profound hearing loss was 20.5 months (S.D.= 15.3) in the whole group; considering the group of 28 babies not screened the mean age was 29.3 months (S.D.= 13.4). This value decreased to 6.8 months (S.D.= 3.6) in the group which underwent screening programme. This difference was statistically significant at Student's t-test (p < 0.001). The average ages of diagnosis for healthy versus high risk children were significantly different only in the group of screened babies (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Childhood hearing impairment is one of the most common of congenital disorders, and even though there is a general trend of early identification, in reality age of diagnosis is as yet still too late even in developed countries. Our results show that newborn hearing screening could reduce the age at which infants with hearing loss are diagnosed and treated; this would improve speech, language, auditory outcome and the quality of parents and infant life. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Congenital hearing loss; Newborn hearing screening; Otoacoustic emissions
lug-2006
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/28393
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