Doctors stress on early diagnosis of deafness

Doctors have pointed out the failure of parents to read the early signs of deafness in children.

In the backdrop of International Week of Deafness - observed between September 26 and 30 - doctors have pointed out the failure of parents to read the early signs of deafness in children.

The largest municipal hospitals in the city are gearing up to focus on neonatal hearing deficiency, to resolve the issue of deafness at an early stage to help toddlers live a normal life, despite the impairment.(Shutterstock)

The largest municipal hospitals in the city are gearing up to focus on neonatal hearing deficiency, to resolve the issue of deafness at an early stage to help toddlers live a normal life, despite the impairment.

The department of ENT (Ear Nose Throat) and Neonatology of KEM Hospital, will start special screenings for the ‘high risk,’ category of newborn children. The neonatology department of the hospital has already acquired the brainstem-evoked response audiometry (BERA) and Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) machines and is training the staff members to test children.

“We will start testing children at an early stage so that by the time the child is one year old and starts learning the language, he will be able to hear sounds and the hearing impairment wouldn’t affect his speech,” said Dr Hetal Marfatia-Patel, head of ENT departmetn at KEM Hospital.

Patel added that parents need to read early signs of hearing impairment in children so that the issue is diagnosed early. “We recently attended to parents who complained that their child wasn’t reacting to high sound volumes at wedding processions. Parents are coming to us at a very late stage when the child is older and the hearing impairment has affected their speech,” said Patel.

Medical experts have requested people to do normal tests like clapping the hands near the new borns ears to check if they are responding and if they aren’t, seek professional advice so that the child can avail necessary treatment.

BYL Nair hospital, the municipal hospital in the city that has a specialised audiology department, has fitted over 200 cochlear implants (an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear) in toddlers. Dr Bachi Hathiram, Professor and HOD, ENT department of the hospital said that they have specialized hand-held screening machines that check the hearing ability of every new born. “Our first child, who got the implants, is perusing engineering now. If attended timely, children with hearing impairment or deafness can lead a normal life because their speech develops at a normal age. Parents are usually very reserved to accept that their child has an impairment and refuse to seek medical help,” said Hathiram.

Dr R N Cooper General Hospital is the second municipal hospital to have an audiology department for early diagnosis of the neonatal hearing impairment. “The OAE and BERA tests are as important as vaccinations, because the impairment can be treated efficiently at early stages. In the coming week, we have invited prominent Otolaryngologists from across the city to come and discuss the various issues broadly,” said Dr Samir Bahrgava, head of the ENT department at the hospital.

OAE test

Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) are measured using an approach based on echoes. A small probe is placed inside the outer ear, where it repeatedly makes a soft “clicking” sound. These sounds travel to the inner ear, right through to the fine hair cells of the cochlea. These cells usually “respond” by vibrating – the vibrations are then carried from the inner ear back to the outer ear in the form of sound waves. There, a tiny microphone on the probe picks up the sound waves and measures how strong they are. If there is no response, or if it is very weak, that could be a sign that the cochlea is not receiving sounds properly. This problem is often caused by hair cells not working as they should.

BERA test

Before the Brainstem-Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) test is done, small metal plates (electrodes) are stuck to the skin at the top of the baby’s head and behind his or her ears. The baby is then given special headphones, through which clicking noises are sent to the inner ear. The electrodes measure whether the brain receives the sound waves from the inner ear, in the form of electrical signals. If the signals are not transmitted properly, then the baby might have impaired hearing.

Advantages of early testing

An early diagnosis also means treatment can be started as soon as possible.

Speech and language develop better in children whose hearing impairment is detected during newborn screening tests compared to children whose hearing impairment is diagnosed later.

The treatment options include hearing aids, speech therapy, and patient education. In some cases, electronic devices known as cochlear implants can be surgically implanted as well.