1. Prevalence of hearing impairment in siblings of deaf children.
- Author
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O'Hara J, Khan SW, Inam N, Chugtai F, Tariq MA, and Quraishi MS
- Subjects
- Adolescent, Adult, Audiometry, Pure-Tone, Child, Child, Preschool, Deafness epidemiology, Female, Hearing Disorders diagnosis, Hearing Disorders genetics, Humans, Male, Mass Screening, Pakistan epidemiology, Prevalence, Risk Factors, Surveys and Questionnaires, Deafness genetics, Hearing Disorders epidemiology
- Abstract
Objective: To assess the prevalence of hearing impairment in siblings of children with profound to total hearing impairment., Method: Two hundred and twenty siblings of children at a deaf school in Karachi completed the screening program. This consisted of a questionnaire and pure tone audiometry., Results: One out of three (73 siblings) had a threshold of 25 dB or greater in their better ear. In a population, already aware of hearing loss, we note that only fifteen siblings had a previous audiogram. Although a positive family history is associated with hearing impairment in the siblings, no increase due to consanguineous marriages was noted., Conclusion: This assessment has underlined the need to increase public awareness of hearing impairment. It has also exposed the lack of it in families exposed to the condition.
- Published
- 2002