Epidemiology of Profound Childhood Deafness

Abstract

Over the past 15 years, a study has been made of 3 535 persons in the British Isles and in Australia who have been deaf from birth, or became deaf in infancy or childhood, to a degree which necessitated special educational measures. Clinical examinations and analyses of family and anamnestic histories have been used to draw up tables of the cause of profound childhood deafness in the various subgroups of this survey. The methodology of the clinical, statistical and genetic aspects of the study is described; some conclusions are draw concerning variations in space and time of the different causes of this handicap as well as extrapolations to possible future trends. This type of information is essential to serve as a base line for an attempt to introduce prophyactic and therapeutic measures in this field

Key Words:

• Epidemiology of deafness
• Auditory geneties
• Autosomal dominant deafness
• Autosomal recessive deafness
• Acquired deafness