بيمارستان كودكان مفيد 80-1379 NICU بررسي ميزان كاهش شنوايي در نوزادان در معرض خطر بستري در بخش نوزادان و

Background: Hearing impairment is one the most important causes of speech problems in children that in case of delay in diagnosis and treatment could cause developmental, emotional and social problems. With respect to the controversies in hearing impairment incidence and lack of informative data in Iran, the present study was conducted on at risk neonates hospitalized in Mofid hospital. Materials and methods: 150 neonates who had at least one risk factor for hearing impairment were included. They were followed for 3 months after discharge and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) was performed. Results: The mean age (±SD) of the candidates was 217±14.1 days. 108 (72%) infants had normal hearing whereas the remaining 42 (28%) had different levels of hearing impairment of whom 17 (11.3%) mild, 16 (10.7%) moderate, 4 (2.7%) severe and 5 (3.3%) profound hearing impairment were reported. Asphyxia was the most probable reason for hearing impairment. Conclusion: Results have revealed that hearing impairment is more common among high-risk neonates in Iran. We strongly recommend global hearing test in all infants less than 3 months of age as screening and treat the affected cases as soon as possible.