![Sample our Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing & Allied Health journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5944/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Medicine-Dentistry-Nursing-Allied-Health.jpg"})
Abstract
Two audiological test methods - Respiration Audiometry and Visual Reinforcement Audiometry (VRA) - have been developed at the Department of Audiology, Sahl-grenska Hospital, Göteborg. The most suitable age for Respiration Audiometry is neonatal period up to 5 months and for VRA 10 months up to 2 years. A programme for early identification of hearing impairment in children was started in Göteborg in 1970. The programme included identification of high-risk infants at maternity hospitals, information to parents about hearing and language development and screening of hearing at the child welfare clinics at the age of 8 months and again at the age of 4 years. Children who failed the screening test underwent hearing assessment at the Department of Audiology. During a ten-year period (children born 1970-1979) 179 children with impaired hearing had their hearing impairment diagnosed. Seventeen per cent of them were high-risk children from maternity hospitals, 28% came from child welfare clinics, 24% from other medical centres and 31% were brought to the Department of Audiology direct by their parents. In order to determine the efficiency of the programme and to study the degree, frequency and causes of hearing impairment, 130 five-year-old children with impaired hearing (group B) from this period were compared with an age-matched group of 85 children with impaired hearing born 1964-1969 (group A), when no programme for early identifiction was in operation. The comparison showed that
More cases of hearing impairment in children were diagnosed in group B (3.51/1,000 versus 2.08/1,000 in group A).
Hearing impairment was diagnosed earlier in group B. Fortyfive per cent of children had their hearing impairment diagnosed at the age of one year, compared to 27% in group A.
Most children with impaired hearing referred to the Audiology Department on the child welfare clinics' own initiative were not identified until the tone screening at four years of age.
Hearing impairment was caused by genetic factors in >50% and by rubella in 18% in group A and 5% in group B. Ear malformations were present in 2% in group A and 11% in group B.
Neonatal disease (hyperbilirubinaemia, asphyxia and prematurity) caused only mild and few losses (5% in group A and 3% in group B).
The prevalence of multihandicap with hearing impairment >50 dB HL was 0.28 per 1,000 live births in group A compared to 0.03 per 1,000 in group B. An analysis of the causes of hearing impairment showed that many risk factors in the original high-risk criteria were of little predictive value and they were therefore excluded from the revised form. As a result of the investigation the child welfare clinics are now encouraged to take a detailed family history concerning hearing loss and to screen for hearing loss also at the age of 18 months.