Middle-ear effusion in newborns with Down syndrome

Background: Hearing loss can be found in more than 50% of children with Dow n syndrome. Chronic or recurrent middle-ear effusions are considered the mo st frequent etiology with an incidence of 60%. Methods and patients: To answer the question of how early these problems ma y arise and be detected, 19 newborns were examined by otoscopy and acoustic imdedance. Results: 36.8% of the ears demonstrated evidence of middle-ear effusions. Conclusion: For detection of middle-ear effusions in children with Down syn drome the necessity of identifying and monitoring hearing loss from the new born age is recommended to decrease possible developmental delays of the he a ring system by means of early otological and rehabilitative measures.