Screening of delayed-onset hearing loss in preschool children in the mid-south of China

Abstract

Objective: Newborn hearing screening has been successfully implemented worldwide to improve the detection of hearing loss. However, delayed-onset hearing loss subsequent to newborn hearing screening remains a concern. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of delayed-onset hearing loss in preschool children who previously passed newborn hearing screening in Hubei Province in mid-south China. Design: Preschool children were screened by transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) for delayed-onset hearing loss. Children referred after the TEOAE screening were assessed audiologically. Study sample: Between March 2010 and September 2011, 28 546 preschool children (4.86 ± 1.67 years old), who had passed newborn hearing screening were targeted for screening from four cities in Hubei Province, China. Results: During the study period, 540 children (1.89%) were referred for audiologic assessment and 22 (0.77/1000) of them had permanent delayed-onset hearing loss, including 8 (0.28/1000) with bilateral moderate hearing loss, 10 (0.35/1000) with mild bilateral hearing loss, 2 (0.07/1000) with unilateral moderate hearing loss, and 2 (0.07/1000) with unilateral mild hearing loss. Conclusions: Despite the success of newborn hearing screening, the provision of hearing screening in preschool remains essential for identifying delayed-onset hearing loss.

Key Words::

• Preschool
• hearing screening
• transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE)
• delayed-onset
• hearing loss

Acknowledgements

We thank all the children and their parents for their kind participation in the study. We greatly appreciate the editorial assistance of Dr. Yingqun Wang. There has been no funding related to this article.

Declaration of interests: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.