title: Is hearing loss in infants associated with risk factors? Evaluation of the frequency of risk factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of risk factors and their influence on the evoked otoacoustic emission (OAE) of infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  All newborns between November 2009 and June 2012 in Haydarpaşa Numune Education and Research Hospital were tested on distortion evoked OAE screening test. Total of 2,284 infants were examined. Sex, maternal infectious disease, birth type (vaginal birth or caesarean sectio), birth weight, familial hearing loss, intermarriage of parents, hyperbilirubinemia, intensive care were analyzed as risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total of 2,284 neonates were screened (1,220 males and 1,064 females) for the presence of OAE in both ears. Vaginal delivery, maternal infections during pregnancy, intermarriage of parents relative, low birth weight(<1,500 g) are related risk factors to failure of screening with OAE in our study. There was no statistically significant difference in sex ratios, birth weight, familial hearing loss, hyperbilirubinemia, and intensive care stay.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Risk factors are only as useful as their predictive power. Not enough is known about which risk factors are relevant, which babies have the risk factors, or which babies will fail to attend follow-up, the effectiveness of targeted hearing loss testing is questionable at this point in time. A system needs to be developed to clarify which risk factors are discoverable, predictive and useful.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ciǧdem Tepe
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Karaca
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Caǧatay
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oysu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sema Zer
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Toros
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Barıș
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Naiboǧlu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Haydarpaşa Numune Educational and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayșegül
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Verim
keywords: Hearing loss; Newborn; Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions