308707
Orofacial Cleft: Higher Risk for Hearing Loss
This study aimed to evaluate relationship between hearing loss and orofacial cleft. Orofacial cleft included cleft lip with or without cleft palate or cleft palate alone.
Methods
The data used was 2005-2008 linked Louisiana birth defects, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI), and birth records data, which included only live births whose deliveries occurred at 40 hospitals. Poisson regression models were used to evaluate association between hearing loss and orofacial clefts. Child’s sex, gestational age, and maternal age, race, and number of previous live births were controlled for in adjusted models.
Results
Of the total 146,974 live births, there were 255 cases with hearing loss and 225 with orofacial cleft. Among the babies with orofacial cleft, the majority of hearing loss was bilateral (72.7%); the most common type of hearing loss was conductive disorder (63.6%) and 90% of them were diagnosed with level 1 or 2 hearing loss. In overall the prevalence rate (per 1,000 live births) of hearing loss was 1.7(CI95%: 1.5 -2.0). It was 48.9 (CI95%: 24.4 – 87.5) among newborns having orofacial cleft, and 1.7 (CI95%: 1.5 – 1.9) among newborns without orofacial defects. Results from adjusted Poisson regression models showed prevalence rate of hearing loss was about 25 times higher among newborns with orofacial clefts compared to without the defect (PR: 25.0,CI95%: 13.6 – 45.9).
Conclusion
The study clearly showed the increased risk of hearing loss in newborns having orofacial cleft, the study finding will aid in the understanding and management of these defects.
Learning Areas:
EpidemiologyLearning Objectives:
Analyze multiple surveillance data for research.
Compare the risk of hearing loss in orofacial cleft among new borns with those without who are born without this birth defect.
Keyword(s): Birth Defects, Children With Special Needs
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am doing an internship at Louisiana Office of Public Health, New Orleans under Dr.Tri Tran, who has the authority to give permission to analyze the data and present an abstract based on the result.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.