What are the most common causes of hearing loss in children?


According to a survey conducted by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), indicated 5 out of everything 1,000 children are impacted by hearing loss, with cases being diagnosed between age three and seventeen.

In 2013, CDC also conducted another survey which estimated at least 12.5 percent of children and adolescent age 6 to 19 have suffered permanent damage to their hearing due to exposure to excessive noise.

There are several causes of hearing loss which I am going to divide them into two categories namely cognitive hearing loss and acquired hearing loss. 
Cognitive hearing loss is that hearing loss which happened at birth. It can include hereditary
hearing loss or hearing loss due to other factors present either in-utero (prenatal) or at the time of birth. Below are some of the causes of
congenital hearing loss.

1. Hereditary (50% of hearing loss according to
experts is caused by genetic factors)
2. Illness
3. Toxins medications consumed by the mother
during pregnancy or other conditions at the time
of birth or shortly after birth.
4. Birth complications
5. Premature birth
6. A nervous system or brain disorder
7. Maternal diabetes
8. Drug or Alcohol abuse by the mother or
smoking during pregnancy. Etc.

Acquired hearing loss on the other hand is hearing loss that affect children after birth.
These includes:
1. A perforated eardrums
2. Ostosclaerosis or meniere's disease which are
progressive.
3. Infections like meningitis, mealses, mumps or
whooping cough.
4. Taking ototoxic medications
5. A serious head injury
6. Exposure to loud noise causes noise-induced
hearing loss
7. Untreated or frequent Otitis media (ear infection) etc.

There are many causes of hearing loss like I listed above, but the most commonly causes is OTITIS MEDIA.

Otitis media, also known as middle ear infection is an inflammation in the middle ear that is usually associated with the buildup of fluid.

Wikipedia define Otitis media as a group of inflammatory disease of the middle ear. The two main are acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis
media with effusion (OME). AOM is an infection of abrupt one set that usually presents with ear pain. In young children, this may result in pulling at the ear, increased crying, and poor sleep. Decreased eating and fever may also be present.
OME is typically associated with symptoms, occasionally a feeling of fullness is described.
It is defined as the present of non-infections fluid in the middle ear for more than three months.

chronic supperitive ottitis media (CSOM) is middle ear inflammation of the greater than two weeks that results in episodes of discharge from the ear. it may affect a child ability to learn.

References:

john D Donaldson, "Acute otitis media" medscape. Retrieved 17 March 2013
www.health hearing.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.asha.org
national institute on deafness and other communication disorder. (2002). 
otitis media (hear infection) ( NIH publication No. 974216).
Bethesda, MD. Author

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