Congenital hypothyroidism as a risk factor for hearing and parents’ knowledge about its impact on hearing

Aim:To evaluate the hearing of children with congenital hypothyroidism(CH)and to analyze the knowledge that parents’have on the possible auditory impacts of the disease.Methods:A total of 263 parents/guardians were interviewed about aspects of CH and hearing.Audiological evaluation was performed on 80 participants,divided into two groups:with CH(n?50)and without CH(n紏30).Clinical and laboratory CH data were obtained from medical records,pure tone auditory thresholds and acoustic reflexes were analyzed.The auditory data was compared between groups.Student’s t-test and Chi-square were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of 5%(p<0.05).Results:The majority(78%),of the parents were unaware that CH when not treated early is a potential risk to hearing.There was no correlation between socioeconomic class and level of information about CH and hearing(p>0,05;p=0.026).There was a statistically significant difference between the auditory tone thresholds of the groups and between the levels of intensity necessary for the triggering of the acoustic reflex.The group with CH presented the worst results(p<0.05)and absence of acoustic reflex in a normal tympanometric condition.Conclusions:Children with CH are more likely to develop damage to the auditory system involving retrocochlear structures when compared to healthy children,and that the disease may have been a risk factor for functional deficits without deteriorating hearing sensitivity.The possible impacts of CH on hearing,when not treated early,should be more publicized among the parents/guardians of this population.

Self-reported participation restrictions in normal hearing individuals in thyroid ontogeny: Evidence of subclinical changes

Purpose: To verify evidence of subclinical alterations through self-reported participation restrictions in normal hearing individuals and congenital hypothyroidism patients.Methods: An analytical, quantitative, cross-sectional exploratory study with a 1:1 ratio, consisting of a convenience sample of 86 normal hearing individuals with(n = 42) and without(n = 44) congenital hypothyroidism diagnosis. All participants underwent tonal and speech audiometry, immitance and distortion product otoacoustic emissions. The researchers excluded people with hearing loss, genetic syndromes and metabolic diseases. The instrument used for evaluate of self-reported participation restrictions was the HHIE-adapted questionnaire, composed of 25 questions, 12 of which were social domain and 13 emotional domain. Student's ttest and chi-square test were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of 5%.Results: There was a significant(p < 0.001) self-reported participation restrictions in CH(61.9%), with a greater relevance for the social domain(p = 0.002). There was a greater frequency of mild/moderate(40.5%)and higher prevalence of association with clinical factors and adherence to treatment.Conclusion: The findings indicate that self-reported participation restrictions in normal hearing individuals with congenital hypothyroidism was more significant than in the non-exposed group, suggesting evidence of subclinical auditory abnormalities in this population.