Hearing outcomes in Neonates of Pre-Eclamptic and Diabetic mothers

Abstract

Background: Both pre-eclampsia and diabetes can have significant effects on fetal development, including the auditory system. Therefore, understanding the potential impact of these maternal conditions on neonatal hearing can help healthcare providers identify at-risk neonates and provide appropriate follow-up care.

Objective:  To find the hearing outcome in neonates of pre-eclamptic and diabetic mothers.  

Methodology: Cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at University of Lahore Teaching Hospital. Duration was 9 months (July 2022 to March 2023). Sample size was 95 neonates. Non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. Participants was selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. DPOAE (distortion product otoacoustic emission) was used for hearing evaluation. The hearing evaluation was done within the first 48 hours. The neonates who failed the first screening were recalled for 2^nd after 2 weeks and those who failed the 2^nd trial of DPOAE underwent 3^rd trial DPOAE after 1 month. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 23.0 package.

Results: On 1^st trial, DPOAE test showed bilateral refer results 17 (56.7%), 13 (52%) and 10 (25%) among pre-eclamptic mothers, diabetic mothers and healthy mothers respectively. On 2^nd trial absent DPOAE rates were 15 (50%), 8 (32%) and 5 (12.5%) neonates from pre-eclamptic mothers, diabetic mothers and healthy mothers. On 3^rd trial, DPOAE rates were 5 (16.7%), 4 (16%) and 1 (2.5%) absent among pre-eclamptic mothers, diabetic mothers and healthy mothers respectively.  

Conclusion: The result of this study concluded that diabetes during pregnancy and pre-eclampsia has negative effect on neonatal hearing. Both are considered the risk factors for hearing loss in the neonates.

Key words: Neonatal screening, Hearing, Diabetes mellitus, Pre-eclampsia