Prevalence of Hearing Impairment in High-Risk Neonates at Kalaburagi Region of Northern Karnataka: A Hospital-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

The study estimated the prevalence of hearing impairment in high-risk neonates and effect of high-risk factors on the hearing. A hospital-based cross sectional study was conducted on 327 neonates with high-risk factors. All the high-risk babies were screened using TEOAE and AABR followed by diagnostic ABR testing. Six (2%) of high-risk neonates were found to have bilateral severe sensorineural hearing loss. Risk factors associated with hearing impairment include multiple risk factors of Preterm delivery, hyperbilirubinemia, congenital anomalies, neonatal sepsis, viral or bacterial infection, positive family history of hearing loss and prolonged NICU stay. Further, the inclusion of AABR along with TEOAE has been shown to be a useful tool in reducing false-positive rates and identifying hearing loss.