What is glue ear in Down syndrome?

Glue Ear is one of the commonest conditions involving the ear and has a particularly high incidence in children with Down syndrome. A mucoid secretion accumulates in the middle ear and stops the ossicles from vibrating freely, therefore reducing hearing levels.

What are the three types of Down syndrome?

Types of Down Syndrome

• Trisomy 21: About 95% of people with Down syndrome have Trisomy 21.
• Translocation Down syndrome: This type accounts for a small percentage of people with Down syndrome (about 3%).
• Mosaic Down syndrome: This type affects about 2% of the people with Down syndrome.

How common is hearing loss in Down syndrome?

Children with Down’s syndrome are more likely to have congenital permanent inner ear hearing loss than the general population (which has an incidence of 1:1000). From teenage years onwards they a likely to develop degenerative cochlear changes, and most will have a significant hearing loss by the age of 40 years.

What is the main cause of prenatal deafness?

Infections the mother passes to her baby in the womb (such as toxoplasmosis, measles, or herpes) Infections that can damage the brain after birth, such as meningitis or measles. Problems with the structure of the inner ear.

Can glue ear affect speech?

Glue ear (otitis media with effusion) can cause temporary deafness and a prolonged period of time with reduced hearing can affect children’s speech and language development, for example, parts of words may not be pronounced clearly. They may also fall behind at school if they don’t have extra support.

How do you fix glue ear?

The 2 main treatments are temporary hearing aids or grommets (small tubes implanted in the ear). Occasionally, surgery may be recommended to remove some glands at the back of the nose (adenoids). This is known as an adenoidectomy.

What causes hearing loss in Down syndrome?

It happens because of changes in the inner ear. Sometimes the body’s microphone, called the cochlea, is not sending sound messages to the brain. Other times, the auditory nerve, which carries sound messages to the brain, is not working. If your child has sensorineural hearing loss, hearing aids can help.

Can you tell if a baby is deaf in the womb?

Advances in the field of antenatal diagnosis have made possible the detection of profound sensorineural hearing loss prior to birth. Fetal motion in response to sound and auditory evoked potential testing can determine the presence of fetal hearing in the third trimester of pregnancy.

Can you tell if your baby is deaf before birth?

Almost all states, communities, and hospitals now screen newborns for hearing loss before the babies leave the hospital. The hearing screening is easy and painless, and it can determine if more testing is needed. In fact, many babies sleep through the hearing screening, and the test usually takes just a few minutes.