الفهرس 
Aim of the workOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Hearing is considered the main sensory access at the beginning of human lives. Hearing loss in the early stages of life leads to impairment of interpersonal communication, psychosocial well-being, academic and professional career opportunities, economic independence and quality of life.
There are different degrees of severity of hearing loss. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), hearing loss is disabling for the newborn when it is greater than 30 decibels (dB) although, hearing loss at lower thresholds also has a negative impact.
Based on information from the US- Joint Committee of Infant Hearing and other sources, risk factors of neonatal and childhood hearing loss include:
Genetic factors (40% - 60%) and occur more frequently in cases of parental consanguinity
Family history of permanent childhood sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL)
In-utero infection of mothers (TORCH).
Syndromes that may be associated with hearing loss (e.g., Down, Edward, and Pendred)
Craniofacial malformations involving the pinna and/or ear canal
Conditions require extended care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) (e.g., persistent pulmonary hypertension associated with mechanical ventilation, elevated levels of hyperbilirubinemia and exposure to ototoxic medications).
Postnatal infections associated with hearing loss such as bacterial meningitis.
Hearing loss has become the fourth leading cause of disability globally. WHO estimates that about 3% of people in the Middle East suffer from hearing loss. The incidence of congenital or early childhood onset SNHL is 0.5–5 per 1000 infants as shown in studies and surveys from different countries.
The American Academy of Pediatrics Infant Hearing Committee recommends screening for congenital hearing loss in the first month, complete diagnosis and medical intervention in the first 6 months.
In May 2019, National program for early detection and intervention of hearing impairment was included in the presidential initiative for early detection of hearing problems. Neonatal hearing screening program is strategy that enables to identify congenital deafness and hearing loss allowing for treatment before harmful effects. It is an important and effective component of preventive medicine.
The techniques most often employed and successfully used in the universal neonatal hearing screens are: otoacoustic emission (OAE) and auditory brainstem response (ABR). OAE is the acoustic echo response of hair cells of the inner ear to stimulus although ABR is the electrical response of the brainstem auditory pathway and the auditory nerve to a click stimulus. Both are easy to use, practical, non-invasive, fast and costeffective investigations.
The diagnosis age of hearing loss was made around 18-36 months before screening programs began and increased even further if hearing loss was mild or moderate.