Present Scenario of Childhood Deafness: A Tertiary Level Health Care Study

Abstract

IntroductionHearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in humans today. Approximately 63 million people in India suffer from significant auditory impairment.Materials and MethodsFifty children of 0-7 years age group, presented to a tertiary level center in Kolkata were assessed by objective and behavioural audiological tests.ResultMean age of presentation was found to be 40.5 months. No risk factor could be identified in 72% of the cases. 47% fell into the profoundly deaf category.DiscussionNumerous studies agree that half of the infants with sensorineural hearing loss have no risk factors at birth and thus would be missed by a targeted hearing screening. ConclusionIndia certainly faces a worse situation regarding childhood deafness. Implementation of universal neonatal hearing screening along with pre-school hearing assessment can certainly change the scenario.