HMC screens over 25,000 newborns for hearing issues

Doha: The National Center for Early Detection of Hearing Loss programme, an initiative for timely diagnosis of hearing weakness in children, has screened 25,668 newborns across the Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals in 2018.

Among them 20 have been found with hearing with problems, said Dr Maha Al Sulaiteen, Specialist and Acting Head of Hearing and Balance Unit at HMC.

“Qatar is recognised as a leader in the early detection of hearing weakness and loss due to the establishment of the National Center for Early Detection of Hearing Loss. The early diagnosis of hearing loss in children is very important, as it will help early intervention,” she said speaking to the media recently.

Established in 2003, National Center for Early Detection of Hearing Loss program provides hearing screenings to all babies born in Qatar prior to their discharge from the hospital. Under the programme, all babies are tested again when they have their first vaccination in two months.

“But children with risk factors such as family history and admission to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for more than 48 hours , we do the same test after a year,” said Dr Al Sulaiteen.

Hearing and Balance Unit at HMC provides several other services such as general audiology clinic (pediatric and adult) for diagnosis and management , tinnitus clinic, hearing aid fitting and programming and  ear mold laboratory services, cochlear implant selection, fitting, mapping and counselling clinic , ototoxicity clinic, auditory verbal therapy clinics , vestibular and balance testing laboratory clinic and rehabilitation and dizzy clinic.

“We see around 145 cases across the clinics on a daily basis. The unit has helped 300 patients hear again, or in some cases for the first time, by providing them with cochlear implants since 2013,” said Dr Al Sulaiteen.

One of the most diagnosed conditions treated at Unit is sensorineural hearing loss. Acquired sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs after birth, can be caused by a number of factors, including ageing, noise (noise-induced hearing loss), disease or infection, and trauma. In contrast, congenital sensorineural hearing loss, a condition that is present at birth, can be either inherited or caused by abnormal development during pregnancy. Over 600 children and adults are treated for sensorineural hearing loss every year at the Audiology and Balance Unit.
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