Table V.

Classification of risk factors for hearing loss in children by early or delayed onset.

Early onset

Family history of permanent childhood hearing loss Neonatal intensive care of more than 5 days Assisted ventilation Exposure to ototoxic medications (gentamycin and tobramycin) or loop diuretics (furosemide/Lasix) Hyperbilirubinaemia that requires exchange transfusion In utero infections (CMV, herpes, rubella, syphilis, and toxoplasmosis) Syndromes associated with hearing loss Craniofacial anomalies and temporal bone anomalies

Delayed onset

Parental concern about hearing, speech, or developmental delay In utero infections (CMV, Herpes) Diagnosis of syndromes associated with hearing loss (neurofibromatosis, osteopetrosis, Usher syndrome, Waardeburg syndrome, Alport syndrome) Neurodegenerative disorders or sensory motor neuropathies Culture-positive postnatal infections including bacterial and viral meningitis Head trauma, especially basal skull/temporal bone fracture Chemotherapy