Abstract
Objective: To assess the prevalence of hearing impairment in siblings of children with profound to total hearing impairment. Method: Two hundred and twenty siblings of children at a deaf school in Karachi completed the screening program. This consisted of a questionnaire and pure tone audiometry. Results: One out of three (73 siblings) had a threshold of 25 dB or greater in their better ear. In a population, already aware of hearing loss, we note that only fifteen siblings had a previous audiogram. Although a positive family history is associated with hearing impairment in the siblings, no increase due to consanguineous marriages was noted. Conclusion: This assessment has underlined the need to increase public awareness of hearing impairment. It has also exposed the lack of it in families exposed to the condition.
| Original language | English (UK) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 73-77 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - Feb 2002 |
| Externally published | Yes |