Hearing screening in a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: hearing impairment and risk factors in neonates and infants

The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment in children in a public hospital in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and to investigate the association with risk factors described in the literature. This study was cross-sectional and retrospective and analyzed 798 newborns and infants evaluated in the Universal Neonatal Hearing Screening Program from June 2002 to December 2003. The risk factors established by the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing in 1994 and Azevedo in 1996 were studied, besides prematurity. Prevalence of hearing impairment was 1.8% (15 cases). A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to verify associations between risk factors and hearing impairment, showing a significant statistical association (p < 0.05) between hearing loss and suspicion of hearing loss by relatives, hyperbilirubinemia (serum level requiring exchange transfusion), ototoxic drugs, and low birth weight. A significant prevalence of hearing impairment in neonates and infants was confirmed. Attention should thus be focused on risk factors for hearing impairment, using hearing programs that ensure prevention, early detection, and intervention.