The incidence of newborn hearing loss and related risk factors in Aydin province in 2006

Congenital hearing loss causes very significant problems by the blockage of learning of speech and language skills. The incidence of newborn hearing loss is higher than all diseases screened in newborn, and ranges 1-3/1000. At present, there are technologies to be able to detect hearing loss in newborns. The early rehabilitation of permanent hearing loss in the first 6 months greatly differs from the rehabilitation performed after 6 months in terms of language skills. For this reason, the necessity of newborn hearing screening is accepted by all authorities. The aim of our study is to determine the incidence of newborn hearing loss in Aydın. All newborns were involved into the study who were admitted the center of newborn hearing loss screening center at the Zübeyde Hanım Obstetrics and Children Hospital between January 01 and December 31 2006. Totally 4.797 delivery were performed in the city center. Of these newborns, 4.497(93.7) were screened for newborn hearing loss at the Zübeyde Hanım Obstetrics and Children Hospital The age of screened newborns ranged 1-210 days. Of these, 4497 (93.7%) were evaluated for hearing loss by two trained general practitioners. In the screening centers where both of two screening devices were present, transient otoacoustic emissions (TOAE) were measured at first on the day before discharge. If the newborn failed TOAE, auditory brainstem response (ABR) test was performed. Newborns with risk factor(s) had both TOAE and ABR tests. The distribution of risk factors that reported reasons of hearing loss in newborns at screening population was as follows; relationship was the first reason at 346 (7.7%) newborns, ototoxic drug usage was the second (165 newborns, 3.7%), hyperbilirubinemia was the third (107newborns, 2.4%), hereditary sensorial hearing loss was the fourth (87newborns, 1.9%). As a result, of screened 4.497 newborn, 25 newborns (0.55%) were referred to the third-step-health-care system for further examination. After the evaluation at Dokuz Eylül University, hearing loss was diagnosed in 7 (0.15%) newborns. The incidence of newborn hearing loss in Aydın was found 1.5/1000. Key Words: newborn hearing loss, screening, incidence