The Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in a Tertiary Hospital in Malaysia

Abstract

Objective: To study the prevalence of hearing loss (HL) and to identify the possible risk factors causing HL. Methods: This retrospective study was conducted from January 2014-December 2016 at a tertiary hospital in Malaysia. All neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) were screened with a two-step protocol using an automated auditory brain response (AABR) and/or Otoacoustic Emission and auditory brain response (ABR). Descriptive analysis was used for the prevalence of HL, degree of HL and number of risk factors per infant. Results: A total of 2713 babies underwent hearing screening in NICU was enrolled in this study. Two thousand six hundred eight (96%) babies passed the screening test and 214 (4%) babies required further diagnostic test. Only 105 (49%) babies completed diagnostic tests. Out of 105 babies, 40 (38.1%) babies had HL. Mild HL was the commonest HL with 22 (55%), moderate HL was in seven babies (17.5%), severe HL in two babies (5%), and profound HL in nine babies (22.5%). The presence of craniofacial anomalies was the only significant independent risk factor for HL with p<0.05 with an odds ratio of 0.105 CI 95% [0.028-0.389]. Of Babies with the presence of three or more risk factors, 100% of them had HL. There was an increased risk of hearing loss in those with craniofacial anomalies up to 11 times higher compared to those without such anomalies. Conclusion: The prevalence of HL among the NICU babies was 1.5% and mild HL was the commonest degree of HL (55%).

Association Between Expanded Genomic Sequencing Combined With Hearing Screening and Detection of Hearing Loss Among Newborns in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

“…Follow-up telephone interviews were performed between September 1 and November 30, 2021. Hearing status at the time of the telephone interview was recorded, including diagnosis of hearing loss, degree of hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe, or profound), symptoms (difficulty in hearing, communication, or speech), risk factors, 13 , 14 , 15 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 and treatment (cochlear implant, hearing aids, or speech therapy).…”

“… 7 Previous studies have shown that approximately 25% of cases of hearing loss are missed by existing newborn hearing screening (NBHS) programs, wherein two-thirds receive a diagnosis of severe to profound hearing loss later. 11 , 12 Previous studies have indicated that hearing loss among newborns in the NICU was associated not only with clinical risk factors, such as cytomegalovirus infection, craniofacial malformation, family history of hearing loss, duration of NICU stay, oxygen exposure, or low birth weight, 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 but also with genetic disorders, which have been shown with the wider use of genetic testing to be associated with hearing loss. 21 Microarray or limited genomic sequencing were used in screening for underlying hearing loss in the general neonatal population because of its low cost.…”

Hearing Status of Premature Children at Hasan Sadikin General Hospital on 2018-2020

“…Additionally, considering the contradictory results found in different studies, a largerscale study involving a diverse population of children could provide more comprehensive insights into the relationship between mechanical ventilator use and hearing impairments. 19 There are several limitations in this study. First, history of drug used in infants were not assessed in this study.…”

Analysis of the Risk Factors Associated with Hearing Loss of Infants Admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A 13-Year Experience in a University Hospital in Korea

“…A Japanese study in 2019 studied risk factors of hearing loss in 1071 NICU infants, and reported that oxygen administration and chromosomal aberrations were the risk factors [27]. However, a Malaysian study in 2020, which evaluated 2713 infants in NICU, reported that only craniofacial anomalies were the risk factors of hearing loss [28]. A Chinese survey of 616,940 households consisting of disabled people and children aged 0-6 years in 2020, reported that lower annual family income, male children, larger household size, single-mother family, and lower levels of maternal and paternal education were the social risk factors for hearing loss; however, this was just a survey and not a study of NICU infants [29].…”