CONTRIBUTION OF ASPHYXIA TO THE INDUCTION OF HEARING IMPAIRMENT IN JAUNDICED GUNN-RATS

Objectives. This study was designed to determine whether asphyxia cont ributes to the induction of hearing impairment during neonatal jaundic e. Methods. Asphyxia was induced in jaundiced and nonjaundiced Gunn ra ts on postnatal days 1 (low bilirubin levels) and 10 (elevated bilirub in levels). Auditory nerve-brainstem evoked response thresholds were a ssessed in 21- and 28-day and 3-month-old rats. Results. Asphyxia by i tself or jaundice by itself did not lead to any type of hearing impair ment. However, the combination of both high plasma bilirubin levels an d asphyxia in 10-day-old rats but not in 1-day-old rats was accompanie d by a progressive hearing loss in these rats. Conclusions. The contri butory effect of asphyxia on neonatal jaundice may have important clin ical relevance if asphyxia, for example, respiratory distress, accompa nies neonatal jaundice.