Auditory profile in children recovering from bacterial meningitis.

In the present study BERA profile of 30 post-meningitic children was compared with 15 normal children of the same age and it was observed that 36.6% children in the age range of 6 months to 36 months were found to have varying degree of sensorineural deafness. Severe bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (> 80 dB) was observed in 6.6% children and moderate (40-80 dB) hearing loss in 30% of children. Abnormalities were bilateral in both the samples of children with severe hearing loss (> 80 dB) whereas among 9 children who had moderate hearing loss abnormalities were bilateral in one patient and unilateral in the remaining 8 children. A relationship between higher incidence of sensorineural deafness and younger age of children, and occurrence of seizures during meningitis were noted. But no relationship was observed with either sex, hydrocephalus, subdural effusion or with low CSF sugar and high CSF proteins.