Detection of Hearing Loss in Babies

Sahabat Hermina, the ability to hear for babies is an important thing that will support their learning abilities in the future. To find out whether a baby has hearing loss or not, it's best to do a hearing test from birth. Parents are encouraged to do the test before bringing the baby home from the hospital.

The hearing test in infants aims to detect whether the baby has hearing loss, so that treatment steps can be determined. This test needs to be done as early as possible, bearing in mind that the sense of hearing plays an important role in supporting the ability to communicate and the development of the baby.

Based on WHO data, 1 in 1,000 babies born in Indonesia experience hearing loss. That's why it's important to be able to detect and provide appropriate treatment early on. Most of these babies are born into families with no history of permanent hearing loss. Permanent hearing loss can significantly affect a baby's development.

Finding out earlier can give these babies a better opportunity to develop language, speech and communication skills. This will also help them take advantage of the relationship with their family or caregivers from an early age.

The hearing test used is Otoacoustic Emission (OAE). OAE is an auditory screening to assess between the hairs in the cochlea (cochlea). This test, which uses a headset-shaped instrument, can measure sound vibrations in the ear canal. In simple terms, OAE works as a stimulant as well as a receiver. The stimulus emitted through the headset is then captured by the hair cells by vibrating the eardrum and passing through the ossicles. The stimulus that is captured by the hair cells then produces vibrations that are again captured by the receiver. After the vibrations are received by the receiver, then it can be decided whether or not the cochlear function is good or bad based on the difference in the amplitudes that have been received.

There are various risk factors for hearing loss, including:

• Conditions or diseases that require treatment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 48 hours or more after birth.
• Conditions associated with certain syndromes causing sensorineural or conductive hearing loss.
• Family history of persistent sensorineural hearing loss since birth.
• Birth not full term or term.
• Low birth weight (weight less than 1500 grams).
• APGAR scores that range from 0-3 and 4-10 and hyperbilirubin.
• History of TORCH infection during pregnancy.
• Abnormalities of the facial bones/skull

Toddlers with one of these risk factors are 10 times more likely to experience deafness than toddlers who don't have it. If there are three risk factors, the tendency to suffer from deafness is estimated to be up to 63 times greater. Meanwhile, newborns who are treated in the intensive care unit (NICU) are at risk of experiencing deafness 10 times that of normal babies.

Well, if you feel symptoms of hearing loss in your little one, immediately consult a specialist at the nearest hospital. The doctor will carry out a series of tests and hearing examinations to find out what is the specific cause of the disturbance that is occurring. Stay healthy.