Hearing in School-Aged Children With Trisomy 21 – Results of a Longitudinal Cohort Study in Children Identified at Birth

Abstract

Objectives

To report the prevalence of hearing problems and the hearing sequelae in school-aged children with Trisomy 21 in a longitudinal study.

Design

All children with Trisomy 21 were identified via schools, community-based Child Development Centres, General Practitioners or the Universal Newborn Hearing Screen. Audiological data and otorhinolaryngological problems were prospectively entered in to the Audiological Surveillance Programme database from each visit.

Setting

Retrospective review of the Audiological Surveillance Programme database in the Glasgow area (United Kingdom) of all children reviewed between 2004 and 2012.

Participants

All pre-teenaged children with Trisomy 21 of school age (aged 5 years to 12 years old).

Main Outcome Measures

Hearing thresholds, aetiology of hearing loss and management of hearing loss was determined for the cohort of children.

Results

102 children were included. 54 had normal hearing. 26 had fluctuating otitis media with effusion; 5 had hearing in normal limits, 6 were managed with hearing aids, 14 were managed conservatively and one had ventilation tube insertion. 15 had persistent otitis media with effusion; 4 had ventilation tube insertion and 9 were managed with hearing aids. 7 had mixed hearing loss with 4 required hearing aids.

Conclusions

Otitis media with effusion was the commonest cause of hearing impairment; effusions may fluctuate through the pre-teenaged years thus hearing aids are beneficial. Ventilation tube insertion and bone-conducting hearing aids were useful when ear-level hearing aids were not tolerated. Mixed hearing loss occurred in later years as sensorineural hearing loss developed on a background of otitis media with effusion.

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