OBJECTIVES: To estimate prevalence and secular trends in children's hearing loss.
DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE and Embase from January 1996 to August 2017.
STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We included epidemiologic studies in English reporting hearing loss prevalence.
STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The modified Leboeuf-Yde and Lauritsen tool was used to assess methodological quality. Meta-analyses combined study-specific estimates using random-effects models.
PARTICIPANTS: Children 0 to 18 years of age.
RESULTS: Among 88 eligible studies, 43.2% included audiometric measurement of speech frequencies. In meta-analyses, pooled prevalence estimates of slight or worse bilateral speech frequency losses >15 decibels hearing level (dB HL) were 13.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 10.0-17.0). Using progressively more stringent cutpoints, pooled prevalence estimates were 8.1% (95% CI, 1.3-19.8) with >20 dB HL, 2.2% (95% CI, 1.4-3.0) with >25 dB HL, 1.8% (95% CI, 0.4-4.1) with >30 dB HL, and 0.9% (95% CI, 0.1-2.6) with >40 dB HL. Also, 8.9% (95% CI, 6.4-12.3) had likely sensorineural losses >15 dB HL in 1 or both ears, and 1.2% (95% CI, 0.5-2.1) had self-reported hearing loss. From 1990 to 2010, the prevalence of losses >15 dB HL in 1 or both ears rose substantially (all P for trend loss types and secular trend.
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Childhood slight or worse hearing loss is prevalent and may be increasing. Advances in understanding hearing loss trajectories, causes, and prevention would require international repositories and longitudinal studies with audiometric data beginning in childhood.
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO 2016 CRD42016034148.
METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 362 mothers and mothers-to-be (mean age: 31.9 ± 4.9 years, range: 20-48 years old) recruited from Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur and two health clinics in Lenggeng, Negeri Sembilan and Beranang, Selangor representing the urban and rural areas respectively. All participants were interviewed in person using a newly developed and reliable questionnaire that tested their knowledge and attitude on childhood hearing loss.
RESULTS: Generally, the majority of mothers had a moderate level of knowledge and positive attitude towards childhood hearing loss. Urban mothers had a significantly higher knowledge than those of the rural area (p loss between urban and rural mothers. In addition, there was no significant relationship found between knowledge and attitude on childhood hearing loss among mothers. Age, race, occupation and education level contributed to the knowledge score significantly (p loss, the majority of mothers and mothers-to-be demonstrated poor knowledge on this aspect. Therefore, this study highlights the urgent need to develop and implement appropriate health education campaigns to improve mothers' knowledge of childhood hearing loss.
METHODS: This study involved 307 adults aged 60 years and older. Participants had their hearing and cognition measured using pure tone audiometry and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), respectively.
RESULTS: Pure tone average (low) accounted for significant but minimal amount of variance in measure of MMSE. Multiple regression analyses were also performed on normal and impaired hearing cohorts and cohorts with younger (60-69 years) and older (≥70 years) groups. The results revealed a significant relationship between PTA (low) and MMSE only in the younger age group. In contrast, no significant relationship was found between PTA (high) and cognition in any of the cohorts.
CONCLUSION: Pure tone average (low) is significantly but minimally related to measure of general cognitive status. Similar relationship is not observed between high-frequency hearing and cognition. Further research using a more comprehensive cognitive test battery is needed to confirm the lack of association between high-frequency hearing and cognition.
METHODS: A retrospective descriptive cohort study on the audiological findings detected during the first hearing assessment done on a child with craniosynostosis using otoacoustic emissions, pure tone audiometry or auditory brainstem response examination. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the type and severity of hearing loss when compared between syndromic and non-sydromic craniosynostosis, and other associated contributory factors.
RESULTS: A total of 31 patients with 62 ears consisting of 14 male patients and 17 female patients were evaluated. Twenty two patients (71%) were syndromic and 9 (29%) were non-syndromic craniosynostosis. Amongst the syndromic craniosynostosis, 9 (41%) had Apert syndrome, 7 (32%) had Crouzon syndrome, 5 (23%) had Pfieffer syndrome and 1 (4%) had Shaethre Chotzen syndrome. Patients with syndromic craniosynostosis were more likely to present with all types and severity of hearing loss, including severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss while children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis were likely to present with normal hearing (p loss including sensorineural hearing loss is more likely to be present in a child with syndromic craniosynostosis (p loss, including that of a severe to profound degree compared to children with non-syndromic craniosynostosis. In addition to that, hearing loss is more likely to be detected when the first hearing test is done at a later age, and this can be an irreversible sensorineural hearing loss. We would like to advocate the need for early audiological screening and follow up in children with syndromic craniosynostosis.
METHODS: Four questions and their corresponding response options were adapted from existing population-based surveys to assess tinnitus prevalence, tinnitus symptom severity, use of healthcare resources for tinnitus and hearing difficulty. The translated versions (Bulgarian, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, and Spanish) were generated using recognized methods to achieve a "world-for-world" translation.
RESULTS: Translated versions were produced with acceptable functional equivalence to the original English-language version, as judged by a small panel of bilingual speakers who participated in the online field testing.
CONCLUSION: This work is the first of its kind to promote multi-national standardization by creating a set of tools that can readily be used across countries. These are currently being used in a European-wide study of tinnitus prevalence, and have wider application across English- and Spanish speaking countries including the Americas and Oceania.
METHODS: Using cross sectional research approach, data were collected and some 46 out of 87 questionnaires distributed to caregivers attending UNHS programs at selected public hospitals were usable for analysis (response rate of 52.8%). Partial Least Squares Method (PLS) algorithm and bootstrapping technique were employed to test the hypotheses of the study.
RESULTS: R square value is 0.205, and it implies that exogenous latent variables explained 21% of the variance of the endogenous latent variable. This value indicates moderate and acceptable level of R-squared values. Findings from PLS structural model evaluation revealed that anxiety has no significant influence (β = -0.091, t = 0.753, p > 0.10) on caregivers' awareness; but perceived attitude has significant effect (β = -0.444, t = 3.434, p loss. Moreover, socio-economic situation of the caregivers may have contributed to their failure to honor UNHS screening appointments as some of them may need to work to earn a living while some may perceive it a waste of time honoring such appointments. Non-significant relationship between anxiety and caregivers' awareness may be due to religious beliefs of caregivers. Limitations and suggestions were discussed.