Paediatrics: Childhood deafness

Childhood deafness

Hearing loss or deafness may be congenital or acquired and can be divid-ed into sensorineural (SN) or conductive loss. Hearing loss of up to 20dB tends not to affect development, but a loss of over 40dB will affect speech and language development.

Sensorineural

Inherited/genetic

•   Non syndromic.

•   Syndromic:

•   Ushers syndrome (see Table 24.2);

•   Waardenburg syndrome (see Table 24.2).

Acquired

•   Perinatal:

•   birth asphyxia;

•   hyperbilirubinemia;

•   congenital infection, e.g. rubella, CMV, syphilis.

•   Postnatal:

•   drugs, e.g. aminoglycosides;

•   meningitis;

•   head injury;

•   labyrinthitis;

•   acoustic neuroma.

Conductive

External ear abnormalities

Ear canal atresia/stenosis.

Middle ear abnormalities

•   Acute otitis media.

•   Chronic otitis media (tympanic perforation, cholesteatoma).

Secretory otitis media.