deafness

Deaf individuals in India face significant auditory impairment, leading to challenges in accessing services. Studies highlight the need to enhance communication services and accessibility to ensure fair access to resources for the deaf community. The present study aimed to address the barriers faced by deaf individuals while availing speech and hearing services in India.

A total of 325 deaf individuals were considered in the age range of 18–30 years, and a survey research design was employed. A 25-item questionnaire was developed under three domains: communication barriers, service access barriers, and psychological barriers. The questionnaires were given to the participants to fill, and the responses were calculated.

The overall results revealed that service access barriers were more compared to communication barriers and psychological barriers. In services-related barriers, the results revealed communication barriers, 74% of the participants preferred sign language during speech and hearing consultations and required counselling by professionals in sign language. Further, in terms of psychological barriers, 70% of participants lacked confidence in visiting speech and hearing institutes/clinics. Moreover, 78.8% of participants reported a need for more materials in sign language at the appointment sections and a lack of sign language interpreters while accessing services in terms of service access barriers.

Addressing these barriers faced by deaf individuals is critical to ensure equitable access to services and promote positive experiences while they are availing speech and hearing services.

The most well-known side-effect of Aminoglycoside antibiotics is significant hearing loss and balance issues. For instance, Gentamicin has been widely recognized for causing hearing loss in most patients. Aimes: This study explored the available evidence on hearing loss following Gentamicin use.

We conducted a comprehensive literature search using Web of Science and PubMed, with the keywords: "Deafness," "Hearing Loss," "Drugs," "Adverse Drug Reaction," "Ototoxicity," "Gentamicin," "Aminoglycosides," "Inner Ear," and "Audiogram." All data were independently extracted and relevant research was used to write this review article.

The reviewed studies highlight the critical factors influencing the severity of Gentamicin-induced hearing loss, including the site of administration, dosage, and co-administration with other ototoxic agents like Vancomycin. The mechanisms underlying Gentamicin ototoxicity involve oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis of sensory hair cells. The literature also suggests safer alternatives within the aminoglycoside class, such as apramycin and Gentamicin C1a, which could be considered for future clinical use.

Gentamicin has been consistently associated with significant ototoxic effects, particularly hearing loss, across various species and clinical contexts. Balancing its therapeutic benefits against potential hearing loss is essential. Developing more targeted interventions that preserve its antimicrobial efficacy while minimizing hearing loss risk may be possible.

Deafness can impact a student’s life in various ways, including social adjustment, and negatively affect their flexibility. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of teaching role-playing methods on positive and negative affect and social adjustment in deaf students. The present study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design. The target population comprised all deaf students between the ages of 14 and 18 enrolled in exceptional high schools in Ahvaz, Iran, during the 2023 academic year. Thirty participants were recruited through a convenience sampling method, and assigned to either the experimental or control group using random allocation (n=15 per group). The students completed the Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) and the Bell Adjustment Inventory (BAI) at the pretest and posttest (two and a half months later). The experimental group received role-playing training in ten 90-minute sessions. The data were analyzed using the ANCOVA test. The role-playing training group showed a statistically significant increase in positive affect from pretest (11.27±1.84) to posttest (18.60±2.11) (P=0.001). In contrast, the control group did not show a significant change in positive affect scores (10.32±1.06 at pretest; 11.14±1.66 at posttest). The role-playing training group exhibited a significant decrease in negative affect scores from pretest (22.27±3.08) to posttest (15.60±2.96) (P=0.001). The control group did not show a statistically significant change in negative affect (20.32±3.12 at pretest; 21.71±2.95 at posttest). The role-playing training group showed a statistically significant increase in social adjustment from pretest (11.27±1.84) to posttest (18.60±2.11) (P=0.001). The role-playing training group showed a statistically significant increase in social adjustment from pretest (40.87±5.21 at pretest; 53.15±7.00 at posttest; P=0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in the change of negative affect, positive affect, and social adjustment scores (P=0.001). Role-playing training can be an effective intervention for improving the emotional well-being and social adjustment of deaf students. The observed reduction in negative affect and improvement in positive affect suggest that interventions focusing on role-playing methods can effectively address emotional challenges faced by deaf students.

Language learning and socialization is a natural process unique to humans. Profound hearing loss has far-reaching consequences for speech and personal-social development. This study aimed to compare the language and social skills development of normal-hearing children with hearing-impaired ones and studied the effect of hearing rehabilitation on selected developmental aspects of hearing-impaired children.

Of 149 children between 6 and 18 months recruited for this study, 55 girls and 65 boys were classified as normal-hearing children (NHC), 11 girls and 13 boys as non-rehabilitated hearing-impaired children (NRHIC) group, and 3 girls and 2 boys as rehabilitated hearing-impaired children (RHIC) group. The Denver developmental screening test 2 (DDST-II) evaluated their language and personal-social development. The obtained data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests.

The development of language between the NHC group and the RHIC (P=0.016) and NRHIC (P=0.001) groups was statistically significant (P≤0.05). The development of personal-social skills between the NHC group and RHIC (P=0.004) and NRHIC (P=0.001) groups were statistically significant. However, the difference in these two developmental aspects, language (P=0.770) and personal social (P=0.0421), between the two hearing-impaired groups was not significant.

Delays in language and social skills development are evident in hearing-impaired children at an early age, so the age of onset of rehabilitation should be reduced as early as possible. The Denver-II screening test is recommended to evaluate the language and skills development in the health centers and centers specialized for hearing-impaired children aged 6 to 18 months.

Healthcare establishments must treat people who are deaf or hard of hearing equally. As several experimental studies have yielded different outcomes, some studies on health education techniques must be conducted to examine the effects of health education on hearing loss. This study outlines how researchers educate deaf people about health issues.

This study was conducted in June 2023 in Jambi, Indonesia. A comprehensive search strategy for each database was developed using the following search terms: “deaf,” “hearing impairment,” “health education,” “adolescent,” and “adult.” A comprehensive assessment of the references from all the studies included in the analysis was also conducted. The forthcoming PRISMA 2020 rules are approaching. Researchers employ Roanalyze to analyze the potential for bias in a study and use the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) to evaluate the authenticity of the study. The writers autonomously acquired the data, whereas external sources reassessed and evaluated the results.

The review database successfully incorporated twenty-one studies relevant to its themes and objectives. Sign language plays a crucial role in health education by enhancing communication and literacy for deaf individuals through visual learning methods and telemedicine.

Sign language plays an essential role in health education, as it improves accessibility for deaf individuals by utilizing visual aids and multimedia-based approaches to learning.

Hearing loss due to noise is considered one of the most common occupational diseases around the world. Hearing impairment can be caused by a combination of mechanical and metabolic factors. On the other hand, smoking can affect the blood supply to the cochlea due to changes in peripheral vessels. One of the factors that can have an ototoxic effect on the hearing system is the use of tobacco. The objective of this study was to review studies on the relationship between smoking and hearing loss. For this purpose, several studies that had reported different results in the last recent years were reviewed and their results were reported. Databases included Web of Sciences, PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane. The study results showed that the use of tobacco causes hearing loss and a reduction in the hearing threshold, especially at high and speech frequencies. As a result, smoking and noise have a common process for hearing loss. This effect becomes more intense as the intensity of smoking and age increase. The important point is that there are industries that are noisy and the risk of hearing loss in smokers can cause more accidents in industries in addition to imposing an economic burden on society, as well as isolation, social problems, and a reduction in people’s quality of life. Therefore, more emphasis should be placed on the implementation of smoking cessation training plans, especially for workers who work in noisy environments.

Motor development is a continuous process throughout life. Hearing impairment in childhood may have significant effects on motor development. This study compared the motor development of normal-hearing and hearing-impaired children at early developmental ages.

This research was a cross-sectional study. A total of 149 children aged six to eighteen months were selected and divided into three groups: normal-hearing children (NHC) (55 girls and 65 boys) selected by convenient sampling strategy, non-rehabilitated hearing impaired children group (NRHIC) (11 girls and 13 boys) selected by purposive method, and rehabilitated hearingimpaired children group (RHIC) (3 girls and 2 boys) selected by the census method. The Denver developmental screening test 2 (DDST-ll) was used to assess motor development. The obtained data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U tests, and curve drawing.

The fine motor development of the NHC (9.63±28.83) was significantly greater than the RHIC (-18 ±26.83) and NRHIC (–21.25±30.26) groups, but there was no significant difference between the RHIC and NRHIC groups. In gross motor development, the NRHIC (–32.71±41.26) group had a more significant delay compared to the NHC (13.38±37.73) and RHIC (0±21.21) groups, but there was no significant difference between the NHC and RHIC groups.

Hearing rehabilitation can partially compensate for the developmental delay in gross skills, but this compensation has not occurred for fine motor skills. The development of fine motor skills requires a precise synergy of small muscles and the nervous system.

Usher syndrome is a heterogeneous genetic disease that is the most common cause of hereditary blindness–deafness. This syndrome is the most prevalent syndrome associated with retinitis pigmentosa. A 25‑year‑old man referred to us with hearing loss and vision diminution since childhood which has gradually worsened. Visual acuity of both eyes was 20/100. Slit lamp examination of the left eye revealed endothelial stellate keratic precipitates, mild anterior chamber reaction, iris heterochromia, ectropion of uvea, and mild posterior subcapsular cataract. There were also no crypts and abnormal vessels in the left eye iris. His intraocular pressure was 14 mmHg in the right eye and 18 mmHg in the left one. Funduscopy demonstrated waxy pallor optic nerve, marked arterial narrowing, and retinal bone spicule pigment formation in both eyes. We report for the first time a very rare association between Usher syndrome, Fuchs heterochromic uveitis (FHU), and ectropion uvea. To our knowledge, no association has been reported between ectropion uvea, FHU, and Usher syndrome.

Congenital hearing loss is one of the important illnesses that affect newborns. Early diagnosis and treatment are a challenge for medical authorities in developing countries to improve children’s functional, intellectual, emotional, and social abilities. We aimed to study the prevalence of congenital hearing loss in northern Jordan community and identify factors that could affect hearing screening protocol.

Prospective cross‑sectional study of 1595 infants born in our hospital underwent hearing screening tests. Totally, 104 were tested in NICU and the rest examined in the nursery room using Otoacoustic emission (OAE) test as a primary testing tool. The patients were followed in the three hearing screening phases. Factors affecting screening results were studied and analyzed.

The total number of newborns who didn’t pass the first OAE test in one or both ears were 90 (5.6%); 69 from the nursery group and 21 from the NICU group. In the 2 nd screening phase 21 (23.3%) didn’t attend the appointment. Sixty‑four passed the second screening OAE test. Five newborns (5.6%) had a second refer result in one or both ears and referred for a diagnostic ABR test. Three infants passed the test and two found to have bilateral hearing loss.

Hearing screening test is conducted via a 3‑phases‑protocol. OAE is used in the first two phases and ABR in the third phase. Hearing results is significantly affected for infants admitted to NICU. The following factors increase OAE fail response: mechanical ventilation for more than 5 days, Hyperbilirubinemia, associated congenital anomalies. Mode of delivery doesn’t have statistical significance on hearing screening results.

Hearing loss, a congenital genetic disorder in human, is difficult to diagnose. Whole exome sequencing is a powerful approach for ethiological disgnosis of such disorders.

One Iranian family with two patients were attented in the study. Sequencing of known non-syndromic hearing loss genes was carried out to recognize the genetic causes of HL.

Molecular analyses identified a novel stop loss mutation, c.1048T>G (p.Term350Glu), whitin the P2RX2 gene, causing a termination-site modification.This event would lead to continued translation into the 3chr('39') UTR of the gene, which in turn may result in a longer protein product. The mutation was segregating with the disease phenotype and predicted to be pathogenic by bioinformatic tools.

This study is the first Iranian case report of a diagnosis of autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss (ADNSHL) caused by P2RX2 mutation. The recognition of other causative mutations in P2RX2 gene more supports the probable function of this gene in causing ADNSHL.

Deafness is the most common sensory-neurological defect in human beings. This study aimed to compare the effect of 8 weeks of Total Body Resistance )TRX( and core stability training on balance and some common abnormalities among deaf adolescents.
This study was conducted with a two-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study design. The participants included in this study were 20 hearing-impaired students with a degree of deafness between 71-90 dB in Bandar Abbas city who were purposefully selected and then randomly assigned into two groups, as TRX (N=10) and core stability training (N=10). In this study, static balance, dynamic balance, kyphosis and lumbar lordosis, and forward head were measured before and after eight weeks in both groups using one-leg stance test, Y balance test, flexible ruler, and goniometer, respectively. The core stability training consisted of 10 different exercises in the core in terms of the progressing and the TRX protocols. Moreover, these exercises were performed 3 sessions per week for an 8-week period (1 day in between), and each session lasted for 40 minutes. The dependent and independent t-tests were also used to perform the intra-group and inter-group comparisons, respectively. The statistical significance level was set at p ≤ 0.05.
The research results show that the abnormalities in the two methods of static balance with open and closed eyes as well as dynamic balance were equally evaluated based on the independent t-test and there was no significant difference between these two methods (p ≥ 0.05). Also, in the forward head, kyphosis, and lordosis variables, the performances of these two methods to reduce the abnormalities were equally evaluated. In this regard, no significant difference was observed between the performances of these two methods (p ≥ 0.05). However, there was a significant difference between the effects of TRX exercises and core stability training on dynamic balance (p ≤ 0.05).
Therefore, to reduce abnormalities and improve balance in deaf children, both methods can be considered as effective with no difference.

MYO15A is the third most crucial gene in hereditary sensorineural hearing loss after GJB2 and SLC26A4. In the present study, we reviewed the prevalence of MYO15A mutations in patients with autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL). In this meta-analysis, we conducted a search of PubMed, Web of Science, Excerpta Medica Database, and Scopus, and identified the articles up to September 2019 without any time limit. Two investigators independently selected the relevant papers and extracted the required information. A total of 44 case-control and case series studies were considered, and 4176 patients and 3706 healthy individuals, as the control group, were included. The pooled frequency of MYO15A mutations between patients suffering from ARNSHL was calculated as 6.2% (95% CI: 4.9-7.8, P-value<0.001). There was heterogeneity between our studies (P-value<0.001, I2=58.1%); therefore, the random-effects model was utilized for analysis. Given the results, in many countries, the MYO15A gene had a significant contribution to hearing loss. Moreover, in several regions, specific dominant mutations in this gene have been reported. Therefore, the ethnic background should be considered to investigate the mutations of the MYO15A gene.

Our research focuses on different dimensions of families of Turkmen population of Iran with two or more than two affected members. A complete clinical ear test was conducted on them. It was aimed to find families with the highest chance of hereditary hearing impairment among siblings and also existence of consanguinity among their parents.

All Turkmen families with at least two hearing impaired members were screened based on prenatal and postnatal histories, family medical history, socioeconomic status as well as physical examination. For confirmation of hereditary hearing loss, a comprehensive evaluation including prenatal, perinatal and postnatal history, family medical history, pattern of inheritance, consanguinity, and three generation pedigree, the physical examination, and genetic screening by a genetic expert were used. They were referred for complete hearing evaluation including pure tone audiometry, speech recognition threshold, otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response.

A total of 82 families with 198 hearing impaired patients were diagnosed with about 60% having two and the rest with more than two affected members. Nearly 89% (n=175) of the patients had the inherited type of hearing loss among which 95% (n=167) demonstrated non-syndromic symptoms. The rate of consanguinity among parents of the patients was about 65%.

This research revealed a high incidence of hereditary hearing impairment and consanguinity among Turkmen population which is in agreement with other reports from Iranian population with deaf children. In general, the rate of consanguinity in Iranian population is 38%. Therefore, it seems that consanguinity is higher in families with hearing-impaired children.

WHO has declared sudden hearing loss (SHL) as the third cause of disability. The mechanism of SHL remains unknown. Considering numerous complications of related medication, we decided to use non-medical therapeutic modalities derived from Persian Medicine (PM). A middle-aged female patient had a history of multiple attacks of SHL, she disliked to get injection again and preferred a traditional treatment. Therefore, she was advised to take a simple protocol in order to make rheological changes in and evacuation of the probable stagnant phlegmatic matter as it was diagnosed from the given oral history. The hearing loss recovered 60% after the first attempt and up to 100% after the second round and has not yet relapsed in the recent two and a half years of follow up despite its recurrences in the year before the trial. In this patient, by using safe user-friendly methods without any medications, we tried to increase the blood circulation to the affected organ, in order to change the consistency of the stagnated waste material so that it could be disposed from the auditory nerves and also out from the body.

The birth of a child with a hearing disability is a stressful event in the family. Since consanguineous marriages are associated with the incidence of congenital hearing loss, it is expected that such parents will experience greater psychological problems.
The current study investigated and compared anxiety, depression, and stress in parents of children with severe hearing loss who have undergone cochlear implantation with a focus on the relation between parents (consanguineous vs. non-consanguineous).
This cross-sectional study was conducted on all 180 couples (360 individuals) who had become parents and attended Baqiyatallah hospital’s Cochlear Implant Center from 2007 to 2009. The participants included two groups of consanguineous (125 couples) and non-consanguineous (55 couples) parents. After providing consent to participate in this study, the participants completed the short form of the Depression and Anxiety and Stress Scale questionnaire (DASS-21). Data analysis was done using SPSS 17 and t test.
The participating parents had high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Depression and anxiety were significantly higher among the consanguineous parents (P=0.001 and P=0.005, respectively). However, stress levels were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Moreover, compared to the fathers, the mothers had higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (P Based on these findings, it may be concluded that the birth of a child with hearing loss can be the source of psychological problems in parents, particularly in consanguineous parents. Furthermore, mothers are more psychologically vulnerable than fathers.

Hearing impaired children are heavily dependent on their sense of vision to develop efficient communication skills; any contrast sensitivity defect can negatively impact their lives because they are not able to use auditory stimuli to recognize probable dangers in the world around them. The purpose of this study was to determine the contrast sensitivity abnormalities in deaf individuals.
In this cross-sectional study, contrast sensitivity of 15- to 20-year-old high-school boys with hearing disability from Tehran, Iran were evaluated. Sixty-four eyes were tested for contrast sensitivity and refractive error. All subjects had an intelligence quotient (IQ) >70. We investigated their contrast sensitivity with Vector vision CVS-1000 in 4 different spatial frequencies.
Profound hearing loss was noted in 50% of the subjects. The frequency of contrast sensitivity abnormalities in 4 different spatial frequencies varied between 51.6% and 65.6%. The largest abnormalities were recorded at 18 cycles per degree. Only 12.5% of deaf students had corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) greater than zero (in LogMAR). The abnormalities in contrast sensitivity showed no correlation with the type or severity of hearing loss.
Hearing impaired boys are at a greater risk for contrast sensitivity abnormalities than boys with normal hearing. The larger frequency of contrast sensitivity abnormalities in high spatial frequencies than in other frequencies may demonstrate greater defects in the central visual system compared with the periphery in individuals with hearing loss.