Misophonia matters: A case study of the role of brain imaging in debates over new diagnoses.

Misophonia has gained attention in scientific circles that utilise brain imaging to validate diagnoses. The condition is promoted as not merely a symptom of other psychiatric diagnoses but as a discrete clinical entity. We illustrate the social construction of the diagnostic category of misophonia through examining prominent claims in research studies that use brain imaging to substantiate the diagnosis. We show that brain images are insufficient to establish the 'brain basis for misophonia' due to both technical and logical limitations of imaging data. Often misunderstood as providing direct access to the matter of the body, brain images are mediated and manipulated numerical data (Joyce, 2005, Social Studies of Science 35(3), p. 437). Interpretations of brain scans are further shaped by social expectations and attributes considered salient to the data. Causal inferences drawn from these studies are problematic because 'misophonics' are clinically pre-diagnosed before participating. We argue that imaging cannot replace the social process of diagnosis in the case of misophonia, nor validate diagnostic measures or otherwise substantiate the condition. More broadly, we highlight both the cultural authority and inherent limitations of brain imaging in the social construction of contested diagnoses while also illustrating its role in the disaggregation of symptoms into new diagnoses.

Clinical characteristics, impairment, and psychiatric morbidity in 102 youth with misophonia.

BACKGROUND: There is little information on the clinical presentation, functional impact, and psychiatric characteristics of misophonia in youth, an increasingly recognized syndrome characterized by high emotional reactivity to certain sounds and associated visual stimuli. METHOD: One-hundred-two youth (8-17 years-old) with misophonia and their parents were recruited and compared with 94 youth with anxiety disorders. Participants completed validated assessments of misophonia severity, quality of life, as well as psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses. RESULTS: The most common misophonia triggers included eating (96 %), breathing (84 %), throat sounds (66 %), and tapping (54 %). Annoyance/irritation, verbal aggression, avoidance behavior, and family impact were nearly universal. Misophonia severity was associated with internalizing symptoms, child-reported externalizing behaviors, and poorer quality of life. High rates of comorbidity with internalizing and neurodevelopmental disorders were found. Quality of life and externalizing behaviors were not significantly different between misophonia and anxiety samples; internalizing symptoms and autism characteristics were significantly higher among youth with anxiety disorders. LIMITATIONS: This self-selected sample was characterized by limited multicultural diversity. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents misophonia as a highly impairing psychiatric syndrome. Future interdisciplinary work should clarify the mechanisms of misophonia, establish evidence-based treatments, and extend these findings to randomly sampled and more culturally diverse populations.

[Misophonia in Childhood and Adolescence: A Narrative Review]. / Misophonie im Kindes- und Jugendalter: Eine narrative Übersichtsarbeit.

Misophonia in Childhood and Adolescence: A Narrative Review Abstract. Misophonia describes a phenomenon in which the affected children and adolescents show a strong negative physiological and emotional reaction when confronted with specific (misophonic) auditory stimuli (most commonly eating or breathing sounds). Several studies with adults yielded prevalence rates between 6 % and 20 % in various (clinical) samples, but the representativeness of samples was largely limited. More than 80 % of the first manifestation of symptoms occurs during childhood and adolescence. Regarding comorbid disorders, studies show great heterogeneity, with estimates ranging from 28-76 % of comorbid mental disorders and approximately 25 % with comorbid physical disorders. The exact etiology is currently not well studied. Initial neurophysiological explanations and imaging studies point to a specific physiological response in misophonia patients. Although many case reports are now available, and diagnostic criteria and measurement tools have been developed, misophonia currently does not represent a distinct neurological, audiological, or psychiatric disorder in the DSM-5 or ICD-11.

Otitis Media and Its Association With Hearing Loss in Chinese Adults: A Population Based Study of 4 Provinces in China.

Objective: Otitis media is a recognized cause of significant hearing loss, particularly in developing countries. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between otitis media and hearing loss in Chinese adults aged 18 years and older. Methods: The survey was based on WHO Ear and Hearing Disorders Survey Protocol and 36,783 adults at the ages between 18 years and above were selected in this study. Trained local examiners performed pure tone audiometry to screen people with hearing loss, and those who were screened positively for hearing loss were referred to audiologists to make final diagnosis. All participants underwent clinical ENT check-up and otoscopic examination by doctors trained in ENT. Each participant was assigned a single middle ear diagnosis. Diagnoses were assigned as per the WHO classification of ear and hearing disorders. Results: Logistic regressions showed that higher prevalence of hearing loss was found in participants with otitis media, with an unadjusted odds ratio of 5.67 (95%CI: 4.66, 6.90). The next two models (Model 2-3) had slight impact on ORs. The interaction of residency and otitis media was statistically significant (OR = 1.70, 95%CI = 1.15, 2.53); otitis media patients in rural areas had higher risk of hearing loss. However, this interaction became not significant in 65 years old and above participants. Conclusions: Otitis media was associated with the risk of hearing loss. Compared with urban patients with otitis media, rural patients have the higher risk of hearing loss. Action to reduce the risk of hearing loss in otitis media will require attention to rural-urban disparities.

Long COVID, audiovestibular symptoms and persistent chemosensory dysfunction: a systematic review of the current evidence.

Objective: The persistence of auditory, vestibular, olfactory, and gustatory dysfunction for an extended time after COVID-19 has been documented, which represents an emerging challenge of which ENT specialists must be aware. This systematic review aims to evaluate the prevalence of persistent audiovestibolar and olfactory/gustatory symptoms in patients with "long-COVID". Methods: The literature was systematically reviewed according to PRISMA guidelines; PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar were screened by searching articles on audiovestibular symptoms and olfactory/gustatory dysfunction after SARS-CoV-2 infection. The keywords used were hearing loss, tinnitus, vertigo, smell disorders, parosmia, anosmia, hyposmia, dysgeusia combined with COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2. Results: 1100 articles were identified. After removal of duplicates (382), 702 articles were excluded, and 16 were included in the systematic review. All articles included identified an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistent hearing or chemosensory impairment. The studies were published over a period of 2 years, between 2019 and 2021. Conclusions: The likelihood of patients with persistent audiovestibular symptoms related to COVID-19 was different among the articles; however, olfactory and gustatory disturbances were more consistently reported. Studies with longer follow-up are required to fully evaluate the long-term impact of these conditions.

Functional Hearing Disorder in Children.

Functional hearing disorder (FHD) is one of the conditions that fall under the umbrella of Functional Neurological Disorders. FHD is characterized by a decrease in hearing sensitivity without correlation in standard audiological testing. In the general pediatric population, the prevalence of FHD is estimated at less than 2%. The prevalence is about 7% in children 6-17 years of age. Some authors, however, consider FHD the most common etiology of sudden onset bilateral hearing loss in children. The mean age at diagnosis of FHD is 11.3 years - the condition is rare below 7 years of age. FHD affects twice as many girls as boys. The loss tends to be of sudden onset, bilateral, impacts all frequencies to a similar degree, and can be associated with an identifiable psychosocial conflict. FHD can be diagnosed using two sets of tests: (1) behavioral tests: pure-tone and speech audiometry; and (2) physiological tests: immittance audiometry, otoacoustic emissions, auditory evoked potentials, and functional neuroimaging. The backbone of the treatment of FHD includes cognitive-behavioral therapy and as needed, psychiatric medications. In this paper, we review the diagnosis, treatment, differential diagnosis, and complications of FHD.

Follow-up on children with suspected bilateral congenital hearing loss identified through universal newborn hearing screening program in Taiwan: A national-based population study.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation was to ascertain the performance of the UNHS in Taiwan. METHODS: The predefined questionnaire was delivered on the phone in 2016. The descriptive analysis was applied to the research data. 941 neonates in birth cohorts 2013-2014 who were documented as a bilateral referral in the national UNHS tracking system were targeted. The respondents were either caregivers or family members. RESULTS: 40.3% of 941 children were lost to follow-up, and 66.24% of 363 children were diagnosed with SNHL. 45.15% of 163 children used hearing amplification device(s). 77.46% of hearing amplification device users and 7.51% of non-users participated in the auditory training courses. By six months of age, 38.51% and 22.58% of children diagnosed with bilateral SNHL commenced the hearing amplification device fitting and the auditory training courses, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: More efforts are needed to enhance the performance of the UNHS to achieve national goals stated in the 2014 Taiwan UNHS Revised Guidelines and the well-known benchmarks set by the JCIH in 2007. The development of an electronic tracking system for storing and sharing information on the follow-up on children with congenital hearing loss was as significant as the improvements in the understanding of early hearing detection and intervention of the public and stakeholders.

Susac syndrome: challenges in the diagnosis and treatment.

Susac syndrome is a disorder thought to be mediated by an autoimmune response towards endothelial cells, leading to a characteristic clinical triad of encephalopathy, visual disturbances due to branch arterial occlusions and sensorineural hearing impairment. Although it is a rare disease, three reasons make it important. First, given its variable presentation, Susac syndrome is underdiagnosed. Second, it is considered an important differential diagnosis in different neurological, psychiatric, ophthalmological and hearing disorders, and consequently is frequently misdiagnosed. Third, in many cases, Susac syndrome is diagnosed and treated late, with significant irreversible sequelae including dementia, blindness and hearing loss. Neuropathology findings derived from both Susac syndrome patient tissue and novel transgenic mouse models indicate cytotoxic CD8+ T cells adhere to microvessels, inducing endothelial cell swelling, vascular narrowing and occlusion, causing microinfarcts. Anti-endothelial cell antibodies are present in serum in 25% of Susac syndrome patients, but it is unclear whether they are aetiologically related to the disease, or an epiphenomenon. The clinical triad comprising encephalopathy, branch arterial occlusions, and sensorineural hearing impairment is considered pathognomonic, although great variability is found in presentation and natural course of disease. At first evaluation, only 13-30% of patients exhibit the full clinical triad, making diagnosis difficult. Retinal fluorescein angiography, optic coherence tomography, MRI and tonal audiometry are helpful methods for diagnosing and monitoring disease activity during treatment. By contrast, there are no reliable objective immune markers to monitor disease activity. Immunosuppression is the current treatment, with high-dose corticosteroid therapy as the mainstay, but additional therapies such as intravenous immunoglobulins, cyclophosphamide, rituximab and mycophenolate mofetil are often necessary, because the disease can be devastating, causing irreversible organ damage. Unfortunately, low rates of disease, variability in presentation and paucity of objective biomarkers make prospective controlled clinical trials for Susac syndrome treatment difficult. Current immunosuppressive treatments are therefore based on empirical evidence, mainly from retrospective case series and expert opinion. In this review, we draw attention to the need to take consider Susac syndrome in the differential diagnosis of different neurological, psychiatric, ophthalmological and hearing disorders. Furthermore, we summarize our current knowledge of this syndrome, in reference to its pathophysiology, diagnosis and management, emphasizing the need for prospective and controlled studies that allow a better therapeutic approach.

Experimental Pain and Auditory Sensitivity in Overactive Bladder Syndrome: A Symptoms of the Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) Study.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of nonbladder sensory abnormalities in participants with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Symptoms of Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction Research Network (LURN) study participants with OAB symptoms and controls were recruited from 6 U.S. tertiary referral centers. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) was performed to determine pressure pain sensitivity at the thumbnail bed and auditory sensitivity. Fixed and mixed effect multivariable linear regressions and Weibull models were used to compare QST responses between groups. Pearson correlations were used to assess the relationship between QST measures. Associations between QST and self-reported symptoms were explored with linear regression. RESULTS: A total of 297 participants were analyzed (191 OAB, 106 controls; 76% white, 51% male). OAB cases were older than controls (57.4 vs 52.2 years, p=0.015). No significant differences in experimental thumbnail (nonbladder) pain or auditory sensitivity were detected between OAB cases and controls. Correlations between pressure and auditory derived metrics were weak to moderate overall for both groups, with some significantly stronger correlations for cases. Exploratory analyses indicated increased pressure pain and auditory sensitivity were modestly associated with greater self-reported bladder pain and pain interference with physical function. CONCLUSIONS: As a group, no significant differences between OAB cases and controls were observed in experimental nonbladder pain or auditory sensitivity during QST. Associations between QST outcomes and clinical pain raise the possibility of centrally mediated sensory amplification in some individuals with OAB.

[Evaluation of a Screening Program: Challenges of Data Collection Using the Example of the Newborn Hearing Screening]. / Evaluation eines Screening-Programms: Herausforderungen der Datenerhebung am Beispiel des Neugeborenen-Hörscreenings.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the newborn hearing screening (NHS) is to identify and treat children with bilateral hearing disorders early. The NHS is regulated in Germany by the Pediatric Directive, which recommends an evaluation after 5 years. This evaluation was performed for the first time nationwide for children born between 2011 and 2012 regarding structural, process and result quality. OBJECTIVES: Challenges in the collection of appropriate data as basis for evaluation are described and possible improvements are suggested. METHODS: All maternity and neonatology wards performing the NHS were identified and their documentations of the NHS analysed. In addition, all pediatric audiologists were identified to gather data on children with bilateral permanent congenital hearing disorder. RESULTS: The identification of relevant maternity and neonatology wards was very burdensome. More than half of them were not aware that NHS had to be documented. There was no documentation on more than 15% of the children that were to be screened. Furthermore, data concerning bilateral congenital hearing disorders was only accessible for 60% of the expected number of affected children. CONCLUSIONS: Data required for the evaluation of the NHS regarding structural, process and result quality were incomplete and missing. The database for evaluations should be defined precisely and structures needed to obtain meaningful results have to be established in advance. Nevertheless, the evaluation of the NHS provides meaningful results concerning the screening process in Germany.

Auditory Dysfunction Among Individuals With Neurofibromatosis Type 1.

Importance: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) affects hearing through disruption of central auditory processing. The mechanisms, functional severity, and management implications are unclear. Objective: To investigate auditory neural dysfunction and its perceptual consequences in individuals with NF1. Design, Setting, and Participants: This case-control study included children and adults with NF1 and control participants matched on age, sex, and hearing level. Patients were recruited through specialist neurofibromatosis and neurogenetic outpatient clinics between April and September 2019. An evaluation of auditory neural activity, monaural/binaural processing, and functional hearing was conducted. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were collected from a subset of participants (10 children with NF1 and 10 matched control participants) and evaluated using a fixel-based analysis of apparent fiber density. Main Outcomes and Measures: Type and severity of auditory dysfunction evaluated via laboratory testing and questionnaire data. Results: A total of 44 participants (18 [41%] female individuals) with NF1 with a mean (SD) age of 16.9 (10.7) years and 44 control participants (18 [41%] female individuals) with a mean (SD) age of 17.2 (10.2) years were included in the study. Overall, 11 participants (25%) with NF1 presented with evidence of auditory neural dysfunction, including absent, delayed, or low amplitude electrophysiological responses from the auditory nerve and/or brainstem, compared with 1 participant (2%) in the control group (odds ratio [OR], 13.03; 95% CI, 1.59-106.95). Furthermore, 14 participants (32%) with NF1 showed clinically abnormal speech perception in background noise compared with 1 participant (2%) in the control group (OR, 20.07; 95% CI, 2.50-160.89). Analysis of diffusion-weighted MRI data of participants with NF1 showed significantly lower apparent fiber density within the ascending auditory brainstem pathways. The regions identified corresponded to the neural dysfunction measured using electrophysiological assessment. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this case-control study could represent new neurobiological and clinical features of NF1. Auditory dysfunction severe enough to impede developmental progress in children and restrict communication in older participants is a common neurobiological feature of the disorder.

Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emission (DPOAE) Growth in Aging Ears with Clinically Normal Behavioral Thresholds.

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a devastating public health issue. To successfully address ARHL using existing and future treatments, it is imperative to detect the earliest signs of age-related auditory decline and understand the mechanisms driving it. Here, we explore early signs of age-related auditory decline by characterizing cochlear function in 199 ears aged 10-65 years, all of which had clinically defined normal hearing (i.e., behavioral thresholds ≤ 25 dB HL from .25 to 8 kHz bilaterally) and no history of noise exposure. We characterized cochlear function by measuring behavioral thresholds in two paradigms (traditional audiometric thresholds from .25 to 8 kHz and Békésy tracking thresholds from .125 to 20 kHz) and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) growth functions at f2 = 2, 4, and 8 kHz. Behavioral thresholds through a standard clinical frequency range (up to 8 kHz) showed statistically, but not clinically, significant declines across increasing decades of life. In contrast, DPOAE growth measured in the same frequency range showed clear declines as early 30 years of age, particularly across moderate stimulus levels (L2 = 25-45 dB SPL). These substantial declines in DPOAE growth were not fully explained by differences in behavioral thresholds measured in the same frequency region. Additionally, high-frequency Békésy tracking thresholds above ~11.2 kHz showed frank declines with increasing age. Collectively, these results suggest that early age-related cochlear decline (1) begins as early as the third or fourth decade of life, (2) is greatest in the cochlear base but apparent through the length of the cochlear partition, (3) cannot be detected fully by traditional clinical measures, and (4) is likely due to a complex mix of etiologies.

Reading Proficiency Trends Following Newborn Hearing Screening Implementation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate trends in population-level school-aged reading scores among students with hearing loss in an urban Colorado school district after implementation of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. METHODS: The final sample included 1422 assessments conducted during the 2000-2001 through 2013-2014 school years for 321 children with hearing loss in grades 3 through 10. Longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling analyses were used to examine reading proficiency (controlling for birth year, grade in school, free and reduced lunch status, additional disability services, and English not spoken in the home). The Colorado Student Assessment Program was administered to students in third through 10th grades throughout the state. The test years chosen included children born before and after implementation of UNHS. RESULTS: After implementation of UNHS, significant longitudinal reading proficiency improvements were observed by birth year and grade overall and for all subgroups. However, gains in reading proficiency were substantially less for children eligible for free and reduced lunch and those with moderate-severe to profound hearing loss. With each succeeding birth cohort and grade, increased numbers of children participated in testing because of improved language skills, with higher proportions identified as proficient or advanced readers. CONCLUSIONS: Notable improvements in reading proficiency after Early Hearing Detection and Intervention implementation were demonstrated, as all groups of children with hearing loss became more likely to achieve proficient and advanced reading levels. On the other hand, some disparities increased, with greater improvements in reading proficiency for children in economically advantaged families.

The effect of coronavirus disease 2019 on the hearing system.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate different auditory regions with audiological tests, based on the presumption that there may be damage to the structures in the hearing system after coronavirus disease 2019. METHODS: Twenty individuals with no history of coronavirus disease 2019 and 27 individuals diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 were compared. Pure tone, speech and extended high-frequency audiometry, acoustic immitansmetry, transient evoked and distortion product otoacoustic emissions testing, and auditory brainstem response testing were conducted. RESULTS: The pure tone audiometry and extended high-frequency mean threshold values were higher in the coronavirus disease 2019 group. The transient evoked otoacoustic emissions signal-to-noise ratios were bilaterally lower at 4 kHz in individuals with a coronavirus disease 2019 history. In the auditory brainstem response test, only the interpeak latencies of waves III-V were significantly different between groups. CONCLUSION: Coronavirus disease 2019 may cause damage to the hearing system. Patients should be followed up in the long term with advanced audiological evaluation methods in order to determine the extent and level of damage.

Knowledge, attitude and management of hearing screening in children among family physicians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and management of hearing loss are important to develop ordinary speaking language and academic skills during childhood. Lack of knowledge by either parents or health care providers could hinder the process of hearing loss diagnosis, such that the intervention will be less effective. There is little evidence about the knowledge and practice of family physicians regarding hearing screening in Saudi Arabia and worldwide. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess family physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to hearing loss in children. This in turn will help policy makers and educational institutions to establish and promote a program concerned with screening, diagnosis and intervention of paediatric hearing loss. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study enrolled 133 family physicians working at primary health centres in Saudi Arabia from March 2020 to September 2020. A self-reported questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of family physicians concerning hearing loss in children. RESULTS: The majority of the participants were working under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health and around half of them did not screen any child for hearing loss. Despite that, 91.7% indicated the importance of neonatal hearing screening, 70.7% indicate infant candidacy for cochlear implant and only 33.1% know about the existence of the early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) governmental program in kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Participants were able to identify factors associated with hearing loss such as a family history of hearing loss (85.6%), meningitis (75%) and craniofacial anomalies (51.5%). The most frequent specialists for patient referrals were ear nose and throat ENT (75.2%) and audiologists (67.7%). CONCLUSION: This study shows that family physicians have good general background about the benefits of EHDI programs and the management of hearing loss in the paediatric population. However, it also indicated insufficient knowledge in other domains of hearing loss, including assessments and the presence of the EHDI governmental program in KSA. Further actions on the involvement of family physicians in the process of neonatal hearing screening, diagnosis and intervention for hearing impairment are needed.

Decentralising paediatric hearing services through district healthcare screening in Western Cape province, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Childhood hearing loss is a global epidemic most prevalent in low- and middle-income countries where hearing healthcare services are often inaccessible. Referrals for primary care services to central hospitals add to growing lists and delays the time-sensitive treatment of childhood hearing loss. AIM: To compare a centralised tertiary model of hearing healthcare with a decentralised model through district hearing screening for children in the Western Cape province, South Africa. SETTING: A central paediatric tertiary hospital in Cape Town and a district hospital in the South Peninsula region. METHODS: A pragmatic quasi-experimental study design was used with a 7-month control period at a tertiary hospital (June 2019 to December 2019). Decentralising was measured by attendance rates, travelling distance, number of referrals to the tertiary hospital and hearing outcomes. There were 315 children in the tertiary group and 158 in the district group. Data were collected from patient records and an electronic database at the tertiary hospital. RESULTS: Attendance rate at the district hospital was significantly higher (p 0.001). Travel distance to the district hospital was significantly shorter (p 0.001). Number of referrals to the tertiary hospital decreased significantly during the intervention period (p 0.001). Most children in both the tertiary and district groups (78.7% and 80.4%, respectively) passed initial hearing screening bilaterally. CONCLUSION: Hearing screening should be conducted at the appropriate level of care to increase access, reduce patient travelling distances and associated costs and reduce the burden on tertiary-level hospitals.

Prevalence of speech-language and hearing disorders in elderly and younger adults according to sex and age: a population survey. / Prevalência de distúrbios fonoaudiológicos em adultos e idosos, segundo sexo e faixa etária: um estudo populacional.

PURPOSE: To verify the distribution of self-reported speech-language and hearing disorders and their association to sex and age in a representative sample of the population in southern Brazil. METHODS: Prevalence of speech-language and hearing disorders in elderly and younger adults according to sex and age: a population survey based on a household survey on Human Communication Disorders (DCH-POP Study). Standardized home interviews were conducted using a questionnaire with residents of the city of Porto Alegre between 2012 and 2014. The study outcome was self-reported "speech-language and hearing disorders", constituted from the variables: language, orofacial motricity, hearing, and balance. Analyses of absolute and relative frequencies were performed. Multivariable prevalence ratios were estimated in an adjusted analysis using Poisson Regression with robust variation and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Of the 1246 individuals interviewed, 918 participants were eligible for this study. Most of them were female (58.1%), and the average age was 48.9 (± 19.6) years. The outcome of speech-language and hearing disorders was found in 364 (39.4%) individuals, and the most affected age group was 60 years old or more (54.4%), with a higher prevalence in men (58.9%) than in women (51.9%). The multivariate analysis showed a significant prevalence ratio only in elderly individuals aged 60 years or older (PR 1.84; 95% CI 1.50-2.26). CONCLUSION: In this study, we did not find significant differences between sexes in the prevalence of self-reported speech-language and hearing disorders in elderly and younger adults. However, elderly and younger adults presented a higher prevalence of these disorders.

OBJETIVO: Verificar a distribuição dos distúrbios fonoaudiológicos autorreferidos em relação ao sexo e à faixa etária em uma amostra representativa da população do sul do Brasil. MÉTODO: Estudo transversal em adultos e idosos com base em um inquérito populacional domiciliar autodeclarado sobre Distúrbios da Comunicação Humana (DCH-POP). Foram realizadas entrevistas domiciliares padronizadas com a aplicação de um questionário com residentes da cidade de Porto Alegre entre 2012 e 2014. O desfecho estudado foi "distúrbios fonoaudiológicos", constituído a partir dos dados das variáveis: linguagem, motricidade orofacial, audição e equilíbrio. Foram realizadas análises de frequência absoluta e relativa. Razões de prevalência multivariáveis foram estimadas em análise ajustada pela Regressão de Poisson com variância robusta e respectivos intervalos de confiança de 95%. RESULTADOS: Dos 1246 indivíduos entrevistados, 918 participantes foram elegíveis para este estudo. A maioria é do sexo feminino (58,1%) e a idade média foi de 48,9 (±19,6) anos. O desfecho distúrbio fonoaudiológico foi encontrado em 364 (39,4%) indivíduos, sendo que a faixa etária mais acometida foi a de 60 anos ou mais (54,4%), apresentando maior prevalência no sexo masculino (58,9%), do que no feminino (51,9%). Na análise multivariável ajustada verifica-se que há razão de prevalência significativa apenas em indivíduos idosos com 60 anos ou mais (RP 1,84 IC95% 1,50-2,26). CONCLUSÃO: Neste estudo não encontramos diferenças significativas entre os sexos na prevalência dos distúrbios fonoaudiológicos autorreferidos em adultos e idosos. Entretanto, pessoas mais velhas apresentam maior prevalência destes, especialmente aquelas com idade entre 60 anos ou mais.

Hearing screening outcomes in neonates of SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women.

OBJECTIVE: The current study aimed to investigate possible association of maternal SARS-CoV-2 with newborn hearing loss. We compared hearing screening outcomes in neonates born to women with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results during pregnancy with healthy controls. METHODS: Neonates born between April and December 2020 in our hospital to mothers with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results during pregnancy were included in this study. Neonates with risk factors for universal newborn hearing screening (NHS) were excluded. Neonates born to mothers with positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results during pregnancy were compared with healthy controls in terms of newborn hearing screening results and independent variables. RESULTS: Neonates in the COVID-19 group were more likely to have a "refer" result in auditory brainstem responses (ABR) compared with the control group (53/118 and 28/118, respectively; p = 0.001). The second ABR test results did not differ significantly between the groups (p = 0.618). Logistic regression revealed that birth week and type of birth were not associated with the "refer" result. PCR positivity in the second trimester was more likely to produce the "refer" result in the first ABR test (p = 0.014). CONCLUSION: SARS-CoV-2 PCR positivity in pregnancy is significantly associated with an increased risk of abnormal NHS results. Also, the timing of PCR positivity in pregnancy (trimester) may be related to abnormal NHS results.

Altered mapping of sound frequency to cochlear place in ears with endolymphatic hydrops provide insight into the pitch anomaly of diplacusis.

A fundamental property of mammalian hearing is the conversion of sound pressure into a frequency-specific place of maximum vibration along the cochlear length, thereby creating a tonotopic map. The tonotopic map makes possible systematic frequency tuning across auditory-nerve fibers, which enables the brain to use pitch to separate sounds from different environmental sources and process the speech and music that connects us to people and the world. Sometimes a tone has a different pitch in the left and right ears, a perceptual anomaly known as diplacusis. Diplacusis has been attributed to a change in the cochlear frequency-place map, but the hypothesized abnormal cochlear map has never been demonstrated. Here we assess cochlear frequency-place maps in guinea-pig ears with experimentally-induced endolymphatic hydrops, a hallmark of Ménière's disease. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that diplacusis is due to an altered cochlear map. Map changes can lead to altered pitch, but the size of the pitch change is also affected by neural synchrony. Our data show that the cochlear frequency-place map is not fixed but can be altered by endolymphatic hydrops. Map changes should be considered in assessing hearing pathologies and treatments.