Bilateral hearing loss prevalent in children with Down syndrome: Study

A new study published in the journal of Nature Scientific Reports showed that 4.1% of children with Down syndrome had sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), whereas almost half (48.8%) had conductive hearing loss (CHL).

Hearing loss in DS patients can be caused by a number of circumstances. Otitis medium with effusion (OME) is the most frequent cause of CHL and a very common disease in children with DS. Due to the difficulty of diagnosing hearing impairment, parents and professionals face difficulties. To determine the prevalence of OME, permanent, and transitory hearing loss in children with DS who are receiving care at Mansoura University Children's Hospital, Sohier Yahia and team carried out this study.

A total of 170 juvenile individuals with genetically proven DS are the subjects of this descriptive cross-sectional research. From October 2021 to October 2022, patients were gathered from the Mansoura University Children's Hospital's genetic outpatient clinic. A lateral X-ray of the nasopharynx with the mouth open and the neck extended was performed on all babies and children after a thorough history was taken.

After examination, any accumulated cerumen in the ears was removed. The tympanic membrane was examined otoscopically to determine whether middle ear pathology was present. Tympanometry was used to evaluate otitis media with effusion and eustachian tube dysfunction. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) and auditory brain stem response (ABR), among other appropriate hearing tests, were employed.

Of the children with DS in the study, 4.1% had sensorineural hearing loss and 48.8% had conductive hearing loss. Bilateral affection was observed in 86.5% of hearing-impaired individuals. 59.1% of individuals with CHL and 71.4% of patients with SNHL had minor hearing loss. Of the total CHL patients, 45.8% had stagnant HL, 15.7% had a regress from moderate to mild HL, and 38.6% had normalized HL.

All 7 afflicted individuals had persistent SNHL, with 4 showing a stable course and three showing a progressive one. In babies and children with DS, CHL was frequently linked to OME, adenoid hypertrophy, and upper respiratory tract infections (URTI). The majority of kids with DS have modest, bilateral hearing loss. The majority of HL is conductive. Overall, every newborn and youngster with Down syndrome should have their hearing evaluated. Even with a standard newborn hearing screening test, patients with DS should be monitored.

Source:

Yahia, S., Metawea, M., Megahed, A., ELshawaf, W., Wahba, Y., & Mahmoud, R. (2025). The prevalence of hearing impairment in infants and children with down syndrome a cross sectional study in a Tertiary Care Center. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 7570. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-90500-7