HIGH RISK NEONATES AND PREVALENCE OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT – A STUDY USING 0T0 ACOUSTIC EMISSION

Abstract

The prevalence of hearing impairment in India in newborns in various studies is 1 to 6 per 1000 newborns screened. 50% of neonates with hearing impairment have associated high risk factors like birth asphyxia, low birth weight, pre term gestation, TORCH and other intra uterine infections, use of oto toxic drugs in neonatal period, hyperbilirubinemia requiring exchange transfusion, family history of sensory neural hearing impairment, mechanical ventilation > 5 days and sepsis.^1,2 To detect congenital deafness is important. It is equally important at what age it is detected. In our country usual age of detection of hearing impairment is 2 yrs.