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More and more children are born with hearing impairments. We inherit some of them from our ancestors, and others are related to the course of pregnancy. Find out what causes hearing impairment in children and how the hearing of a child is tested.

Every third Pole hashearing difficulties . Almost half of people under 40 have ahearing loss . Noise is currently the biggest threat to the proper functioning of the hearing organ. It is worth adding that any sound intensity exceeding 85 decibels (dB) is harmful to hearing. But there are many other reasons for this as well.

The course of pregnancy and hearing impairment in a child

The greatest threat to a developing hearing organ in a fetus is rubella. This is why women who are unsure whether they were vaccinated against rubella as 13-year-old girls should get vaccinated before a planned pregnancy. A child's hearing impairment may also develop if the mother takes antibiotics or salicylate medications (popular aspirin) during pregnancy. Hearing loss or partial deafness can also be caused by perinatal injuries, prematurity or jaundice.

Causes of childhood hearing problems

  • Fluid in the ear

The most common cause of hearing impairment is chronic otitis media with effusion. This disease affects 80 percent of children under the age of 4, and becomes a problem for every sixth child over 4 years of age. The disease consists in the accumulation of fluid in the spaces of the middle ear, which leads to partial immobilization of the ossicles and the eardrum, and consequently disturbs sound conduction (conductive hearing loss). The causes of exudative otitis include: frequent infections of the upper respiratory tract, prolonged fever-free catarrh, ear inflammation, allergies (inhalation, food allergies), adenoid hypertrophy, and oesopharyngeal reflux. These conditions are associated with obstruction of the Eustachian tube, so treatment is aimed at reducing swelling. Drugs (decongestants, sometimes antibiotics and immunostimulants) are used, the Eustachian tube is ventilated and blown. If this does not work, attach a ventilation tube to the eardrum and frequently remove the pharyngeal tonsil.

  • Overgrown almond

In slightly older children, the cause of hearing loss or deafness may be infectious diseases, such as measles, or repeated infections of the upper respiratory tract. Untreated or poorly treated ear diseases, sinusitis, pharyngitis, and laryngitis may impair your hearing so much that you will need to wear a hearing aid.

The pharyngeal (called the third) along with the palatines is the first line of defense of the immune system. It is most developed in young children (it disappears with age). If your toddler gets infections (viral and bacterial) or is allergic, the third tonsil begins to overgrow, causing the airways to narrow and blocking the mouths of the Eustachian tubes. The consequence of this may be, among others hearing loss, night apnea, snoring or malocclusion. It is not uncommon for the tonsils to overgrow at the same time, which aggravates the problems with breathing and swallowing. One of the treatment methods is the use of drugs (antiallergic, anti-inflammatory, vaccines that increase immunity). However, if this proves to be ineffective or when the symptoms are severe, it is advisable to remove the pharyngeal tonsil. If the palatine tonsils are also overgrown, their tissue is also partially removed.

Important

Why is it worth having a child's hearing tested?

  • every 6th school-age child has hearing problems - these are usually a consequence of an upper respiratory tract infection
  • more than 300 newborns are diagnosed with a congenital hearing impairment annually
  • around 100 people lose their hearing a year as a result of accidents
  • in Poland, 80 percent of hearing impaired people do not wear hearing aids
  • only about a third of people with hearing loss are of retirement age - most of them are in school and working age
  • people with hearing loss wait an average of 10 years before going to a doctor for help
  • About 65 percent of hearing impaired people experience mild hearing loss, 30 percent moderate hearing loss and 5 percent severe or profound hearing loss

Treatments to restore hearing to children

A hard-of-hearing or deaf child should be operated on between 18 and 24 months of age. A child who is hard of hearing can be equipped with a hearing aid, just like an adult. If the defect concerns the middle ear, the missing or damaged part is reconstructed using material taken from the patient, artificial, or a suitable device is implanted in the ear. When this is not enough or when the baby is deaffrom birth - a cochlear implant is required.

You must do it

Newborn hearing test

If the hearing screening test performed in the neonatal unit is abnormal, it must be repeated in the first trimester of life.

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