The prevalence of risk for hearing impairment in newborns with congenital syphilis in a newborn hearing screening program (NHS)

Objective

To study the prevalence of risk for hearing impairment in neonates with congenital syphilis in a newborn hearing screening program.

Study design

The study design is retrospective, documentary, and is cross-sectional. The sample consisted of newborns who were born between January 2019 and December 2021 and who underwent neonatal hearing screening in a public maternity hospital. Demographic data and the presence and specification of risk indicators for hearing impairment (RIHL) were collected. In retest cases, the results and the final score were also collected. For data analysis, the Kruskal-Wallis and Conover-Iman post-hoc tests were used, comparing the groups that passed and failed the hearing screening that had RIHL, using a significance level of p of <0.5.

Results

Among the RIHL observed in the sample, prematurity was more frequent in newborns who passed the screening (55.26%) than in those who failed the test (45.67%). Congenital syphilis was the ninth most frequent RIHL (8.04%) among the newborns who passed the test and the 15th factor (3.03%), with the highest occurrence in those who failed the hearing screening. When comparing the two groups (pass and fail), we found significant differences (p < 0.05) between them.

Conclusion

Congenital syphilis was the ninth risk indicator for the most common hearing impairment and, in isolation, did not present a risk for failure in neonatal hearing screening. Notably, congenital syphilis can cause late hearing loss during child development. Thus, there is an indication of audiological monitoring of these neonates.

Acesso ao serviço de saúde auditiva infantil no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil

Introdução: A deficiência auditiva compromete o desenvolvimento da linguagem e o processo de aprendizagem na criança. A triagem neonatal, o diagnóstico e a intervenção auditiva são ações que devem ser realizadas para a atenção integral à saúde auditiva na infância. Objetivo: Avaliar o acesso aos serviços de saúde auditiva infantil e os fatores que influenciam no acesso. Métodos: Estudo transversal com 104 crianças que realizaram a triagem auditiva neonatal e foram encaminhadas para diagnóstico. As fontes foram os bancos de dados, onde foram coletadas variáveis demográficas, sociais e relacionadas ao acesso e uso dos serviços de saúde. Foram realizadas a distribuição percentual das variáveis categóricas e medidas de tendência central e dispersão das variáveis contínuas. Para avaliar a associação das variáveis dependentes e independentes foi utilizado o teste Qui-quadrado com nível de 5% de significância. Resultados: Apenas 56 (53,3%) crianças compareceram, dessas 41 foram para o serviço estudado, 24 concluíram o diagnóstico e 3 apresentaram deficiência auditiva. A média de idade no diagnóstico foi de 211 dias, com desvio padrão de 155,9 dias e a duração do diagnóstico foi de 135 dias, com desvio padrão de 143,2 dias. Não houve significância estatística entre o acesso ao serviço de saúde e a distância, idade e escolaridade da mãe. Conclusão: Existe uma evasão no acesso ao serviço e na conclusão do diagnóstico e as crianças não são assistidas em idades oportunas. A idade e escolaridade da mãe e a distância não influenciaram no acesso e uso ao serviço.

Neonatal hearing screening programs: quality indicators and access to health services

Abstract Objectives: to verify the quality indicators of neonatal hearing screening programs, identify the most prevalent risk factors for hearing loss and analyze access to the Hearing Health Care Network. Methods: cross-sectional study using secondary data. The population are children born in public maternity hospitals from 2015 to 2019. Data collection was carried out in the database of programs and hearing health service. The absolute and relative frequencies of all variables collected and the median, the interquartile range and the Mann-Whitney test were calculated to analyze the access. Results: universality increased during the study period, but was not reached (71.9%; CI95%=70.4-73.3) and the referral rate for auditory diagnosis was within the recommended range (0.9%; CI95%=0.8-0.9). The most prevalent risk factors were congenital infections and heredity. There was an evasion of children to the hearing health service of 85.1% and the type of referral interfered with the age of the child at access. Eight children with hearing loss were diagnosed, in which seven had access to therapeutic interventions. Conclusions: hearing screening was not universal. Access to the Hearing Health Care Network presents high evasion and interventions were offered to children with hearing loss.

Temporal analysis of hearing aids provision by the Brazilian Unified Health System

PURPOSE

To analyze the outpatient production of aspects of hearing aids (HA) provision by the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) between 2005 and 2018.

METHODS

This is an ecological time-series study, based on data from the Outpatient Information System of the SUS and the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. The HA provision rates were analyzed with Joinpoint software. Descriptive analyses were carried out for technological categories, funding, HA replacement and audiological monitoring.

RESULTS

The South (9.96/10,000 inhabitants) and North (3.20/10,000 inhabitants) regions recorded the highest and lowest average rates, respectively. There were significant upward trends in HA provision in Brazil, in the North, Southeast and Midwest regions, with subsequent significant downward trends in the Southeast and Midwest. In the country, HA concession by technological categories was A (39.26%), B (36.93%) and C (23.81%), increasing funding. The Midwest (24.78%) and Northeast (14.22%) regions had the highest and lowest proportion of HA replacement, respectively. The audiological monitoring predominated in the Southeast (45.88%), with the lowest occurrence in the North (4.18%).

CONCLUSION

Between 2005 and 2018, trends fluctuated and discrepancies between geographic regions were observed in HA provision by the SUS, in addition to mismatches in the provision of technological categories and funding, a considerable proportion of replacements and insufficient audiological monitoring for HA users.

Newborn Hearing Screening: association between coverage, and the availability of speech therapists and equipment in Brazil

PURPOSE

To determine the coverage of newborn hearing screening (NHS) and its association with the availability of speech therapists in the National Health System (SUS) and equipment in the states of Brazil in 2012 and 2018.

METHODS

This is a descriptive ecological time series study with the Brazilian states and live births as units of analysis. An exploratory analysis of newborn hearing screening coverage and descriptive data analysis were performed. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to measure the strength and direction of the association between two ranked variables.

RESULTS

Coverage in Brazil increased from 24.1% to 67.6%. Better coverage was observed in the South and Southeast regions in 2012, and in the former and Mato Grosso state (MS) in 2018. The average number of speech therapists was 4.79 and 8.9 / 100,000 inhabitants in 2012 and 2018, respectively. The index of "transient evoked otoacoustic emission" equipment was below 1 / 100,000 inhabitants in the two years in all the states of the country.

CONCLUSION

Screening coverage increased in Brazil, albeit below the recommended level, and is related to rising number of speech therapists in the SUS. Spatial distribution is heterogeneous throughout the country.

Influence of frenotomy on breastfeeding in newborns with ankyloglossia

PURPOSE

evaluate the influence of frenotomy on the breastfeeding of newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia.

METHODS

this is an intervention study performed with 50 newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia. It was conducted in three stages: diagnosis, intervention and reassessment. In the diagnostic phase, the Protocol for the Assessment of Speech Language with Scores for Babies was applied to diagnose ankyloglossia and a questionnaire assessing the symptoms and coordination of sucking, swallowing and breathing during breastfeeding. In the intervention, frenotomy was performed, and at reassessment, the diagnostic protocol and questionnaire in order to compare the post-surgical effects.

RESULTS

of the 50 babies participating in the study, 35 (70%) were boys and 15 (30%) girls. A total of 68% of ankyloglossia cases were reported in the family, a majority (38%) involving cousins. There was a statistically significant reduction in the average protocol score in the reassessment stage, from 8.38 (7-12 points) to 0.86 (0-5 points), as well as a statistically significant improvement in all variables related to the symptoms of breastfeeding.

CONCLUSION

surgical intervention, known as frenotomy, made it possible to improve the negative symptoms of breastfeeding in newborns diagnosed with ankyloglossia.

Provision of the frequency modulation system for the hearing impaired

Introduction

The personal frequency modulation system is an assisted technology resource used in the accessibility of individuals with hearing impairment, being very important in the school environment. Ordinance number 1274/2013 included this device into the Brazilian unified health system.

Objective

To analyze the distribution the personal frequency modulation system concession in the national territory by the Brazilian unified health system from 2013 to 2017.

Methods

This is an ecological study that uses the 27 federation units and the five geographic regions as analysis units. The population involved students in the age range of 5–17 years who reported severe hearing impairment. The data sources were the ambulatory information system/Brazilian unified health system, the Brazilian institute of geography and statistics and the report no. 58 of the national commission for the incorporation of technologies into Brazilian unified health system, national commission of technologies incorporation of the ministry of health. The spatial analysis was carried out through the percentage of coverage of the frequency modulation system concession per federation unit; the data were then unified in the five geographic regions and descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

Results

Between the first and second years, there was an increase of almost 50% in the quantity dispensed, however, there was a progressive decline in the following years. The average coverage of the frequency modulation system in Brazil was 33.4%. The spatial exploratory analysis showed there is a low and uneven distribution in the territory, as the South and Southeast regions had the highest coverage and the North and Northeast regions the lowest, except for the Rio Grande do Norte unit.

Conclusion

The frequency modulation system concession was below that stipulated by the ministry of health and from 2014 to 2017, the dispensed quantity progressively decreased. There is an unequal distribution in the territory that can be explained by the geographic disposition of hearing health services.

Indicadores de qualidade de triagem auditiva e de avaliação do frênulo lingual neonatal

RESUMO Objetivo: analisar os indicadores de qualidade do programa de triagem auditiva e avaliação do frênulo lingual em neonatos, quanto às taxas de cobertura, tempo de vida em que são realizadas as triagens auditivas, índices de encaminhamentos e prevalência da anquiloglossia, em um hospital universitário especializado em assistência materno-infantil. Método: trata-se de um estudo transversal, no qual foi analisado o banco de dados do programa de triagem auditiva e da avaliação do frênulo lingual em neonatos, referente aos atendimentos realizados no período de setembro de 2015 a agosto de 2016. Resultados: no período analisado, nasceram 2.345 neonatos na instituição, 1.380 (58,8%) realizaram a triagem auditiva neonatal e 1.350 (57,6%) a avaliação do frênulo lingual. A média de idade gestacional foi de 39 semanas (±1,6), peso de nascimento igual a 3.478 g (± 469,2) e 69% eram do sexo masculino. Na triagem auditiva neonatal, dos 1.380 neonatos, 95,7% receberam alta com orientação, 2,4% foram encaminhados para monitoramento auditivo e 1,9% foram encaminhados para diagnóstico auditivo. Na avaliação do frênulo lingual, dos 1.350 avaliados, 123 (9,1%) apresentaram anquiloglossia, 85 eram do sexo masculino e 47, feminino. Conclusão: os indicadores de tempo de vida em que são realizadas as triagens auditivas, índices de encaminhamentos e prevalência da anquiloglossia estão em consonância com a literatura, porém as taxas de cobertura estão inferiores ao recomendado e não seguem a legislação brasileira.