[Complex disorders in children with sensorineural hearing loss - influence on the diagnosis of hearing pathology and hearing aid].

The presence of additional disabilities (AD) in children with sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) and influence of AD on age of hearing loss diagnosis and amplification were investigated. It was shown that 41% children with SNHL have different AD - pathology of the central neural system (including mental retardation, autism spectrum disorders, attention deficits), vision, motor and articulation impairments, cardiovascular, respiratory, urinary, digestive, endocrine diseases etc. 59% children among them have 2-3 AD. The most often combination of AD was pathology of central neural and motor systems. The genetic factor was revealed rarely in the group of children with AD than in children with SNHL only. The diagnosis of hearing loss before age 4 months was rarely in the group of children with AD. Possibly it is because of the most of such children got treatment in neonatal intensive care unit and didn't have access to universal newborn hearing screening. Moreover, SNHL might develop later as the outcome of their AD or their treatment. Suggestion about more late amplification in children with SNHL was confirmed. The cause might be wary relation of audiologists to amplification of children with AD and difficulties of this process.