Effect of Malnutrition on Hearing Loss in Children

Effect of Malnutrition on Hearing Loss in Children: Objective:

To characterize the relation between protein-calorie malnutrition (PCM) and hearing loss (HL) in children.

Study Design:

Retrospective review.

Setting:

Tertiary referral hospital.

Patients:

Children in the Audiological and Genetic Database with a diagnosis of protein-calorie malnutrition, marasmus, and/or kwashiorkor.

Interventions:

None.

Main Outcome Measures:

Prevalence, type, severity (4-tone pure-tone average, PTA), and progression of HL.

Results:

Of 770 children with PCM, 57.8% had HL, compared to 45.5% of children without PCM (p