[Mild hearing loss in children with communication disorders].
The prevalence of MHL in 202, 1 to 6 year-old children with communication disorders who visited our clinic in 1991 was investigated. 1) 31% of the subjects had MHL bilaterally. The prevalence of MHL was 44% at age 1 year, 20% at age 2 years, 36% at age 3 years, 24% at age 4 years, 39% at age 5 years, 33% at age 6 years. 2) 88% of children with MHL had OME, 10% had mild sensorineural hearing loss, and 2% had cerminous plug. 3) The prevalence of MHL in children with mental retardation and autistic disorders was 9%, that with stuttering was 9%, that of OME accompanied by moderate and severe hearing disorders was 6%. 4) The primary causes in 191, except for those with stuttering, were as follows; the prevalence of MHL was 30%, that of mental retardation and autistic disorders was 24%, and that of articulation disorders was 28%. 5) On the other hand, the prevalence of MHL in children with retarded language development and articulation disorders was 30%, which was significantly higher than that of the other communication disorders. Accordingly, the results of this study suggest that MHL in early childhood greatly influences communication disorders.
Suzuki
S
S
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, School of Medicine, Kanazawa University.
Notoya
M
M
Tedoriya
H
H
Furukawa
M
M
D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000209:etiology*