In newborn hearing screening little importance is attributed to changes in the middle ear. Children with secretory otitis in the neonatal period are at risk for developing otitis media in the first year of life.
Aim: To determine if children who failed the hearing screening because of conductive hearing loss have more episodes of conductive hearing impairment during their first years of life.
Materials and methods: The study group comprised 62 children who failed the screening for conductive impairment. The control was made up of 221 who passed. Both had audiologic and otolaryngological assistance and were compared regarding the occurrence of conductive disorder. Were used the Fisher's Exact test for statistical analysis and logistic regression models. The study was prospective and retrospective.
Results: Children who failed the screening by conductive disorder had more episodes of otitis media during the first year of life than those who did not fail, with statistically significant difference.
Conclusion: Infants who failed the screening in the first month of life for conductive alteration are more likely to experience otitis in the first year of life. The high incidence of otitis indicates the need for joint action with otolaryngologist for diagnosis of such changes.