Question
The 16-month-old girl failed the newborn hearing screening and her ABR test at 8 months old showed 80 decibels in her left ear and 70 decibels in her right ear. At 12 months, the left ear dropped to 60 decibels while the right ear remained at 70 decibels. The CT scan results were normal. There is no family history of hearing impairment, but both parents have relatives with hearing issues. She is asking where to get further hearing tests in Nanjing.
Answer
The girl is considered to have bilateral moderate to severe sensorineural hearing loss and is advised to be fitted with hearing aids as soon as possible and undergo speech rehabilitation training. Hearing should be rechecked every 3 to 6 months, and hearing aid settings should be adjusted according to the hearing condition. Currently, it is recommended to undergo hearing tests at hospitals in Nanjing such as Jiangsu Provincial People’s Hospital. As for genetic testing for deafness, only the most common four genes can be tested at present, not all genes.