OBJECTIVE: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) has been associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) in older children and adults. Few studies have investigated this association in younger children. DESIGN: In a cohort of pediatric patients followed at our sickle cell clinic, with a mean age of 7.8 years, 154 audiograms were completed on 84 patients. RESULTS: This produced 22 subjects with abnormal audiograms. Middle ear effusion was the etiology of 19 subjects' audiometric findings. Three children were found to have mild SNHL. None of the subjects had hearing loss of severity which would warrant amplification. The prevalence rate for SNHL in our cohort of pediatric patients was 3.5%. CONCLUSION: This differs from past reports, and may reflect an age dependent prevalence of SNHL in this disease.
OBJECTIVE:Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) has been associated with sickle cell disease (SCD) in older children and adults. Few studies have investigated this association in younger children. DESIGN: In a cohort of pediatric patients followed at our sickle cell clinic, with a mean age of 7.8 years, 154 audiograms were completed on 84 patients. RESULTS: This produced 22 subjects with abnormal audiograms. Middle ear effusion was the etiology of 19 subjects' audiometric findings. Three children were found to have mild SNHL. None of the subjects had hearing loss of severity which would warrant amplification. The prevalence rate for SNHL in our cohort of pediatric patients was 3.5%. CONCLUSION: This differs from past reports, and may reflect an age dependent prevalence of SNHL in this disease.