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Top 10 Top Causes of Hearing Loss in Children

By Jamie Berke, About.com

Created: June 21, 2007

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What are the top 10 causes of hearing loss in children? I turned to the Regional and National Summary Report of Data from the [academic year] Annual Survey of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children and Youth done by the Gallaudet University Gallaudet Research Institute. This study looks at the characteristics of thousands of deaf and hard of hearing students nationally. I looked at the (December 2005) study.

1. Prematurity

The study divided the causes of hearing loss into pre-natal/pregnancy-related and post-natal causes. The most common pre-natal/pregnancy-related cause was prematurity.

2. Other Pregnancy Complications

The next most common pregnancy-related cause was other pregnancy complications.

3. Cytomegalovirus

The third most common pregnancy-related cause was Cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is very similar to rubella in how it can affect a fetus.

4. Otitis Media

The most common post-natal cause was otitis media. Ear infections are a frustrating dilemma for both parents and doctors, who must decide whether or not to prescribe antibiotics.

5. Meningitis

The next most common post-natal cause was meningitis. The drugs needed to prevent meningitis from killing children can cause hearing loss.

6. Genetic or Syndromic Causes

Approximately 22 percent of the hearing loss was due to genetic or syndromic factors. The genetic causes were subdivided into specific causes, and the most common of these was Down Syndrome.

7. CHARGE Syndrome

The next most common genetic cause was CHARGE syndrome. CHARGE is a craniofacial disorder.

8. Waardenburg Syndrome

That was followed by Waardenburg Syndrome. Waardenburg can create unique physical features.

9. Treacher Collins Syndrome

The last most common genetic cause was Treacher Collins Syndrome. Like CHARGE, Treacher Collins is another craniofacial disorder.

10. Unknown Causes

The remainder was of unknown cause, approximately 53 percent. I once read somewhere that a lot of deafness of unknown cause, may be due to genetic causes such as Connexin 26.

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