Deafness Assessment Questionnaire

Why: to determine if acute or chronic.

Why: congenital deafness may be due to inherited defects e.g. external auditory canal atresia; to factors before the birth such as maternal intrauterine infection (e.g. rubella, CMV, toxoplasma and syphilis), drug or excess alcohol ingestion during pregnancy; or due to factors around the birth such as prematurity, lack of oxygen due to birth trauma and hemolytic disease of the newborn. Deafness may be associated with hypothyroidism, Down syndrome, Waardenburg's syndrome, Klippel-Feil syndrome, Treacher Collins' syndrome and mucopolysaccharidoses. In many cases of congenital deafness no cause can be found.

Why: If unilateral, the deafness may be due to local conditions such as ear wax, a foreign body, otitis media (middle ear infection) or ruptured ear drum; or it may be due to nervous system conditions such as Meniere's disease, acoustic neuroma or multiple sclerosis. Bilateral deafness is more likely due to otosclerosis, acoustic trauma, presbyacusis (hearing loss as part of the aging process) or drug toxicity.

Why: e.g. the often sudden onset of hearing loss in an ear following swimming or showering is suggestive of wax which swells to block the ear canal completely.

Why: e.g. people with conductive (middle ear) hearing loss may hear better in noisy conditions because we raise our voices when there is background noise. Conversely, people with deafness due to a nerve problem usually have more difficulty hearing in noise as voices become unintelligible.

Why: e.g. a child may end up with permanent deafness due to mumps and meningitis infection; otitis media (middle ear infections) often are preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection; mumps, measles or herpes zoster infection may be complicated by deafness.

Why: e.g. industrial machinery, weapons and loud music - common cause of permanent sensorineural (nerve based) deafness.

Why: diving can cause barotrauma to ear drum if there is an occluded eustachian tube.

Why: flying can cause barotrauma to ear drum if there is an occluded eustachian tube.

Why: may suggest otitis externa ( outer ear infection).

Why: may cause fracture of the petrous temporal bone and injury to facial nerve.

Why: e.g. viral infections e.g. mumps, measles or herpes zoster; polycythaemia (can cause vascular obstruction to the arterial system); diabetes (may cause deafness due to vascular disease); Paget's disease of the bone may cause conductive (middle ear) hearing loss.

Why: e.g. ototoxic antibiotics such as gentamycin and streptomycin, aspirin overdose, frusemide diuretic.

Why: e.g. congenital deafness (including Waardenburg's syndrome, Down syndrome, Klippel-Feil syndrome, Treacher Collins' syndrome and mucopolysaccharidoses);presbyacusis (hearing loss as part of the aging process); otosclerosis.

Why: alcohol abuse may cause toxicity to the nerve and cause deafness.

Why: may suggest Meniere's disease or other nervous system condition such as acoustic neuroma, multiple sclerosis, basilar artery insufficiency, drug induced ototoxicity or syphilis; may also occur in otosclerosis.

Why: may suggest otitis media, mastoiditis, otitis externa.

Why: may suggest otitis externa, otitis media, mastoiditis, barotraumas, cholesteatoma.

Why: e.g. presbyacusis, noise induced hearing loss, otosclerosis, ear wax, head injury, Meniere's disease, acute otitis media, drug induced ototoxicity.

Why: may suggest otitis media, otitis externa, mastoiditis, mumps, measles.

Why: e.g. failure to respond in expected way to sounds, preference for or response only to loud sounds, no response to normal conversation or to television, speech abnormality or delay, absence of babbling by 12 months, no single words or comprehension of simple words by 18 months, learning problems at school, disobedience and other behavioral problems.

Why: e.g. nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, vertigo, sensorineural deafness.

Why: e.g. infection often follows upper respiratory tract infection, ear pain, fever, sensation of pressure in the ear, hearing loss, drum may perforate with subsequent relief of pain and fever.

Why: e.g. often occurs in ears that are itchy due to eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis or in those that swim; pain, discharge, pressure on the ear lobe causes pain.

Why: e.g. pain, low grade fever, feeling unwell, hearing loss, foul smelling discharge, swelling behind the ear.

Why: e.g. flat facial profile, excess neck skin, unusually shaped ears, round head, protruding tongue, short wide hands.

Why: e.g. child with white forelock of hair and different colored eyes.