(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)The University Hospital Sharjah (UHS) has screened 1000 newborns for hearing problems and helped 16 babies with timely treatment for the condition.
"Universal newborn screening is necessary as it catches any hearing defects early" said Hakam Yaseen UHS medical director and head of neonatal intensive care unit. Hearing loss is a common birth defect in the UAE with an incidence of between two to four per 1000 births. The UHS recently inaugurated a new hearing aid clinic that is now part of the existing audiology unit. The hospital has expanded its facilities to meet the needs of the growing number of patients in Sharjah and the Northern Emirates. With the number of babies being born premature rising a larger number of newborns with hearing defects are expected. "Prematurity or low birth rate (below 1500 grammes at birth) is a major risk factor contributing to hearing defects. Studies show that hearing and optic problems reach 25 per cent of preterm babies - those that are born earlier than the 25 weeks' gestation time" Yaseen said. Hearing loss can also result from hereditary factors or occur if the mother gets infected during pregnancy with German measles or an infection by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii which can spread to the baby and cause serious complications. Drugs administered to newborns such as Gentamicin (for the treatment of various bacterial infections) may also cause hearing loss. The UHS is following international recommendations by subjecting all babies to universal newborn screening. This method identifies hearing-impaired newborns with or without risk factors. A second type of screening risk-based screening only focuses on high-risk infants or those with certain risk factors that may lead to hearing loss. Early intervention for newborns at the UHS includes treatments such as a cochlear implant that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear and helps the baby hear; devices such as hearing aids; and speech therapy with spoken and sign language support. The earlier the defect is detected the better because the brain's ability to learn language (spoken or sign) is reduced as the child gets older. "Children born with permanent congenital hearing loss have historically performed worse educationally and had poorer language acquisition social functioning and vocational choices than their hearing peers" Yaseen added.
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