Wyniki badań przesiewowych słuchu u wybranej populacji dzieci szkół podstawowych na ŚlÄ sku

The aim of this study was analysis of results of audiologic evaluation in the group of 191 children with hearing loss. Children were selected from the group of 8885 pupils of primary schools in Silesia by screening test „Słyszę” in 2002. Universal Screening Program of Hearing in Children and Teenage „Słyszę” was created and introduced in to the clinic practice by Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing in Warsaw in 1999. The screening program consists of: pure tone examination and speech audiometry in noise. Children with hearing loss detected by this test in 2002 were followed laryngological and audiological examination. Special attention was paid on articulation disturbances, communicational and educational problems in children with hearing loss. The authors focused also attention on „discreet signs of hearing deficiency” (not reacting to commands, turning up a TV-set, loud speech). The validation of screening test „Słyszę” was also conducted. In the selected population of primary schoolchildren in Silesia hypoacusis occurred in 6% of examined children, in „city” schools the percentage proved to be higher than in „village” schools. In the group aged 6 to 10 the conductive hearing loss occurred considerable more frequently. Eustachian tube dysfunctions in children with conductive hearing loss occurred more frequently in the group of the younger ones. Older than 10 years old in most cases proved to have perceptive-type of hearing loss. The hearing loss hinders a child's psycho-intellectual development, it is important to detect it as early as possible. The evaluations showed that despite frequent occurrence of „discreet symptoms of hypoacusis”, only 17,8% of parents suspected hearing loss in their own child. According to the frequency of parents' signals of „discreet symptoms of hypoacusis” it was found that the fact of turning up TV sound was the most powerful sign indicating the probability of hearing loss (45,5%). The most common risk factors of hearing loss in schoolchildren were also estimated. A characteristic, homogenous group of 34 children (17,8%) was the group with MSHL minimal sensorineral hearing loss of high frequencies (6-8 kHz). Results obtained give evidence of low level of awareness in the society concerning the problem of hypoacusis, which confirms the necessity to screening of hearing in schoolchildren and improving of health care in this respect. Diagnosing hypoacusis in case of children is an interdisciplinary problem, requiring cooperation of medical circles but also teachers, speech therapists and parents.