Results of a neonatal hearing screening program in Maceió

Since 1998, after we started the support group for neonatal hearing screening, many other hearing screening programs were held in Brazil. In Alagoas, the first program started in 2003, but none of its results were published. Hearing is paramount for human communication; therefore, childhood hearing loss can impair speech acquisition, emotional, educational and social development. Aim: to present the results achieved in a neonatal hearing screening program in Maceió. Materials and Methods: a retrospective analytical study was carried out in order to study the results from tests carried out from September 2003 to December 2006 in a private hospital of Maceió. Results: from a total of 2002 newborns, 1,626 fitted the inclusion criteria, 835 (51.4%) males. The hearing screening was considered appropriate in 1416 cases (87.1%), and the most frequently found age was between 16 and 30 days. Finally, 163 (10.0%) children presented risk indicators for hearing loss, and hyperbilirubinemia was the most common indicator. Conclusions: statistical results obtained from this hearing screening program show the importance of holding such programs. This study is important because it contributes to further regional or multinational studies.