Causes of Hearing Loss in Children

Generally speaking, there are 3 principal causes of hearing loss in children. These are congenital factors, some acquired causes and otitis media or ear infections. Let us have a come across at these causes.

Otitis media is an inflammation that generally takes place in the area behind the eardrum that is more frequently than not linked with the buildup of fluid. It is not forever the case that the fluid is infected. Its symptoms differ in severity, durability and frequency from child to child. Children may have short period of thin, clear, non-infected fluid which causes no pain or fever but slightly hampers hearing ability. In more severe cases, children have frequent bouts with infection, thick “glue-like” fluid and possible problems such as permanent hearing loss.

Otitis media, really, is one of the most common causes of hearing loss in children. This type of hearing loss is mostly impermanent, but if otitis media happens frequently, it might harm the eardrum, the bones of the ear, or even the hearing nerve and lead to a permanent hearing loss in children.

If hearing loss is present in children at birth, it is due to inherited causes. Congenital hearing loss means that problem is there since birth. It includes hereditary hearing loss or hearing loss due to other issues present either in utero (prenatal) or at the time of birth.

Genetic hearing loss in children may be autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive, or X-linked (related to the sex chromosome). Genetic causes play a main role in hearing loss in children.

Some examples of genetic syndromes where hearing loss is one of the known characteristics include Treacher Collins syndrome (autosomal dominant), Fetal alcohol syndrome (genetic abnormality), Down syndrome (abnormality on a gene), Usher syndrome (autosomal recessive), Crouzon syndrome (autosomal donimant), and Alport syndrome (X-linked). Among other causes of congenital hearing loss that are not hereditary in nature are illnesses, prenatal infections, or conditions happening at the time of birth or soon thereafter.

These include intrauterine infections including cytomegalovirus, rubella, and herpes simplex virus, problems linked with the Rh factor in the blood, prematurity, maternal diabetes, and toxemia throughout pregnancy, lack of oxygen, syphilis, and malformation of ear structures. Cytomegalovirus is very similar to rubella in how it can affect a fetus. Similar in numerous ways to rubella, it is a dangerous virus that can outcome in a baby being born with a progressive hearing loss, mental retardation, blindness, or cerebral palsy. According to information existing from the American Academy of Family Physicians, about 5 percent of children born before 32 weeks (8 months of pregnancy) suffer hearing loss by the time they reach 5.

Acquired hearing loss emerges after birth, at any time in a person’s life, maybe as a result of a disease, a circumstance, or an injury. The following circumstances can cause acquired hearing loss in children: otitis media or ear infections (mentioned earlier), ototoxic (which cause harm to the auditory system) drugs, encephalitis, chicken pox, influenza, mumps, meningitis, measles, head injury and noise exposure. Meningitis is one of the most common post natal causes of hearing loss in children. The antibiotics used for treating bacterial meningitis can lead to hearing loss, but steroids can be used to decrease this risk.