Imad, Khairulaman, Sadia Farhad.
Consanguinity as Cause of Hearing Loss :A study of 200 Cases.
J Saidu Med Col Jan ;8(2):107-9.

Background: Consanguinity is believed as marriage between cousins or more closely related family members. It is considered an important causative agent in the prevalence of hereditary disorders. Consanguinity has been reported being more common among parents of children having hereditary hearing loss. Objective: To study the frequency of consanguinity in hearing impaired children in District Mardan at Otorhinolaryngology department of Mardan Medical Complex teaching hospital Mardan. Material and Methods: It was a prospective study on 200 children with age range of 2-5 years, visiting otorhinolaryngology department for hearing impairment. Only patients with hereditary hearing loss were included in the study. Patients with deafness because of other reasons like birth asphyxia, prematurity, head injury etc. were excluded from the study. A thorough history, complete audio logical examination and investigations were done. Results: Out of 200 cases, consanguinity was found in 67.5%, while 32.5% were non consanguineous . In 98 cases parents were st nd 1 cousins while in 37 cases parents were 2 cousins. 78% of patients had profound senserineural hearing loss while 28% had severe senserineural hearing loss. Conclusion: Congenital hearing impairment can be reduced by discouraging and counseling against consanguinity. Consanguinity is an important community health problem and is the major cause of hereditary hearing loss in children.

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