HEARING AID

A relatively new technique, otoacoustic emission, can be used to test hearing in all babies at birth (universal newborn screening). A controlled trial of this approach, undertaken by Dr Colin Kennedy and colleagues at the University of Southampton in the 1990s, provided evidence of its benefits, and an eight-year follow-up has confirmed that it ensures babies and families receive support as rapidly as possible.

Hearing difficulties in children are rare but can have a significant impact on their social and intellectual development. There are advantages to early diagnosis, so parents and health specialists can begin helping a child as soon as possible. Babies used to have their hearing tested early in life, but this led to a delay before infants were referred to specialists.

Following the successful trials of universal newborn screening, it is being introduced across the UK. Dr Kennedy and colleagues have now carried out an eight-year follow-up on the babies enrolled in the original trial. They found that the proportion of all babies with permanent childhood hearing impairment referred before the age of six months increased from 11 of 35 (31 per cent) without universal screening to 23 of 31 (74 per cent).

The study re-emphasises the value of universal screening in rapidly identifying hearing impairments, so early help can be given to the baby and parents.

External links

• Kennedy C et al. Universal newborn screening for permanent childhood hearing impairment: an 8-year follow-up of a controlled trial. Lancet 2005;366(9486):660–2.