Assessment of the Prevalence of Hearing Impairment in Neonates Born in Imam Reza, Ghaem and OM-Albanin Hospitals of Mashhad

The prevalence of hearing loss in neonates is 2-5 out of every 1,000 live births. Global Health Committee, American Academy of Otolaryngology, and American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended that hearing loss in infants be identified, and treated when possible, prior to 6 months of age. This study was designed with the aim to screen the hearing of neonates in Mashhad, Iran. All neonates born in Imam Reza, Om-Albanin and Ghaem Hospitals from November 2008 to November 2010 were screened by Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) test at the time of discharge, followed by a secondary OAE test in case of the failure of the first test; also, a confirmatory Auditory Steady State Response (ASSR) test was performed in 3 weeks to evaluate the type of hearing loss. After data analysis, the frequency of hearing loss in neonates and different risk factors were assessed. In the present study, 8,987 neonates were analyzed. Thirty one neonates (3.5 per 1000) failed the ASSR test; among these neonates, 6.5%, 25.8%, 25.8% and 19.2% had slight, mild, moderate, and moderate to severe hearing loss, respectively. Also, 16.1% had profound deafness and 6.5% presented with sensorineural involvement. Positive family history of hearing impairments, craniofacial anomalies, hyperbilirubinemia and different hearing syndromes were significantly different between the case and control groups (P<0.05). In this study, 3.5 neonates out of 1,000 live births had different types of hearing impairments; therefore, it is recommended that screening be performed before discharge.