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Vaccines Dec 2023(1) Background: Vaccine safety is an important topic with public health implications on a global scale. The purpose of this study was to systematically review available... (Review)
Review
(1) Background: Vaccine safety is an important topic with public health implications on a global scale. The purpose of this study was to systematically review available literature assessing sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) incidence and severity following both coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and non-COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as prognosis and outcomes. (2) Methods: This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Relevant publications evaluating post-vaccination SNHL were selected from PubMed and Embase, searching from inception to July 2023. (3) Results: From 11 observational studies, the incidence of post-vaccination SNHL was low for both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 vaccines, ranging from 0.6 to 60.77 per 100,000 person-years, comparable to all-cause SNHL. (4) Conclusions: The incidence rates of SNHL following COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 vaccinations remained reassuringly low. Most patients experienced improved hearing function in the weeks to months following vaccination. This study underscores the importance and safety of vaccinations and encourages ongoing surveillance and detailed reporting of hearing loss cases post-vaccination.
PubMed: 38140238
DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11121834 -
PloS One 2023Over 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have limited knowledge about deafness and require comprehensive support and information to support and... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Over 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents who have limited knowledge about deafness and require comprehensive support and information to support and communicate with their deaf child. However, little is known about the systems that support hearing families with deaf children. We performed a scoping review to provide an overview of current literature on the topic.
METHODS
The protocol of the scoping review was prepared using the PRISMA statement guidelines for scoping reviews. Relevant search terms were used to identify eligible studies following discussion with the study's steering group. Databases searched were CINAHL, Medline, ProQuest Central and ASSIA, as well as grey literature from relevant journals and online sources. Included were studies published from 2000 to 2021 and available in English.
RESULTS
A search of databases identified 1274 articles. After excluding duplicates, screening titles and abstracts and full texts, 65 papers matched the identified inclusion criteria. Results included 1 RCT, 7 comparative studies, 6 literature reviews, 4 PhD theses, and 47 further empirical studies.
CONCLUSION
There is limited quality evidence on what supports hearing parents with deaf children. It is evident that further studies are needed to ensure comprehensive support is accessible and effective for hearing parents of deaf children.
Topics: Humans; Child; Hearing; Parents; Empirical Research
PubMed: 38011100
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288771 -
Tropical Medicine & International... Feb 2016To systematically assess the data on the prevalence and causes of hearing impairment in Africa. (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To systematically assess the data on the prevalence and causes of hearing impairment in Africa.
METHODS
Systematic review on the prevalence and causes of hearing loss in Africa. We undertook a literature search of seven electronic databases (EMBASE, PubMed, Medline, Global Health, Web of Knowledge, Academic Search Complete and Africa Wide Information) and manually searched bibliographies of included articles. The search was restricted to population-based studies on hearing impairment in Africa. Data were extracted using a standard protocol.
RESULTS
We identified 232 articles and included 28 articles in the final analysis. The most common cut-offs used for hearing impairment were 25 and 30 dB HL, but this ranged between 15 and 40 dB HL. For a cut-off of 25 dB, the median was 7.7% for the children- or school-based studies and 17% for population-based studies. For a cut-off of 30 dB HL, the median was 6.6% for the children or school-based studies and 31% for population-based studies. In schools for the deaf, the most common cause of hearing impairment was cryptogenic deafness (50%) followed by infectious causes (43%). In mainstream schools and general population, the most common cause of hearing impairment was middle ear disease (36%), followed by undetermined causes (35%) and cerumen impaction (24%).
CONCLUSION
There are very few population-based studies available to estimate the prevalence of hearing impairment in Africa. Those studies that are available use different cut-offs, making comparison difficult. However, the evidence suggests that the prevalence of hearing impairment is high and that much of it is avoidable or treatable.
Topics: Africa; Hearing Loss; Humans; Prevalence
PubMed: 26584722
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.12640 -
JAMA Otolaryngology-- Head & Neck... Jan 2022Although bone conduction devices (BCDs) have been shown to improve audiological outcomes of patients with single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD), their effects on the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
IMPORTANCE
Although bone conduction devices (BCDs) have been shown to improve audiological outcomes of patients with single-sided sensorineural deafness (SSD), their effects on the patients' quality of life (QOL) are unclear.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the association of BCDs on QOL in patients with SSD.
DATA SOURCES
Literature search of databases (Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov) from January 1, 1978, to June 24, 2021, was performed.
STUDY SELECTION
Prospective interventional studies with 10 or more participants with SSD (defined as pure tone average >70 dB hearing loss in the worse hearing ear and ≤30 dB in the better hearing ear) who underwent unilateral BCD implantation and assessment of QOL before and after the intervention using a validated tool were eligible for inclusion. Studies on adults and children were eligible for inclusion. Patients with only conductive, mixed, or bilateral hearing loss were excluded.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Data were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. Study clinical and demographic characteristics were obtained. Meta-analysis of mean differences in QOL scores before and after the intervention was performed. Study bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute risk of bias tool.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The main study outcome was mean change in QOL scores at 6 months after insertion of BCDs. The 3 QOL instruments used in the studies included the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB), the Health Utilities Index-3 (HUI-3), and the Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing Scale (SSQ). The APHAB and the SSQ are the hearing-related QOL measures, whereas the HUI-3 is a generic QOL measure.
RESULTS
A total of 486 articles were identified, and 11 studies with 203 patients met the inclusion criteria. Only adult studies met inclusion criteria. Ten of 11 studies were nonrandomized cohort studies. The BCDs assessed were heterogeneous. There was a significant statistical and clinically meaningful improvement in the global APHAB scores (mean change, 15.50; 95% CI, 12.63-18.36; I2 = 0) and the SSQ hearing qualities (mean change, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.46-1.92; I2 = 78.4%), speech (mean change, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.68-2.37; I2 = 0), and spatial hearing (mean change, 1.51; 95% CI, 0.57-2.44; I2 = 81.1%) subscales. There was no significant change detected in the mean HUI-3 scores (mean change, 0.03; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.10; I2 = 0). The risk of bias was assessed to be low to moderate.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These findings suggest that adult patients who receive BCDs may experience improvements in hearing-specific QOL measures but not in generic QOL measures. Prospective QOL studies should be considered in this cohort, particularly for children with SSD.
Topics: Bone Conduction; Hearing Aids; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural; Humans; Quality of Life
PubMed: 34647990
DOI: 10.1001/jamaoto.2021.2769 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2022Neuroplasticity following deafness has been widely demonstrated in both humans and animals, but the anatomical substrate of these changes is not yet clear in human...
Neuroplasticity following deafness has been widely demonstrated in both humans and animals, but the anatomical substrate of these changes is not yet clear in human brain. However, it is of high importance since hearing loss is a growing problem due to aging population. Moreover, knowing these brain changes could help to understand some disappointing results with cochlear implant, and therefore could improve hearing rehabilitation. A systematic review and a coordinate-based meta-analysis were realized about the morphological brain changes highlighted by MRI in severe to profound hearing loss, congenital and acquired before or after language onset. 25 papers were included in our review, concerning more than 400 deaf subjects, most of them presenting prelingual deafness. The most consistent finding is a volumetric decrease in gray matter around bilateral auditory cortex. This change was confirmed by the coordinate-based meta-analysis which shows three converging clusters in this region. The visual areas of deaf children is also significantly impacted, with a decrease of the volume of both gray and white matters. Finally, deafness is responsible of a gray matter increase within the cerebellum, especially at the right side. These results are largely discussed and compared with those from deaf animal models and blind humans, which demonstrate for example a much more consistent gray matter decrease along their respective primary sensory pathway. In human deafness, a lot of other factors than deafness could interact on the brain plasticity. One of the most important is the use of sign language and its age of acquisition, which induce among others changes within the hand motor region and the visual cortex. But other confounding factors exist which have been too little considered in the current literature, such as the etiology of the hearing impairment, the speech-reading ability, the hearing aid use, the frequent associated vestibular dysfunction or neurocognitive impairment. Another important weakness highlighted by this review concern the lack of papers about postlingual deafness, whereas it represents most of the deaf population. Further studies are needed to better understand these issues, and finally try to improve deafness rehabilitation.
PubMed: 35418829
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.850245 -
Frontiers in Public Health 2022Face coverings and distancing as preventative measures against the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 may impact communication in several ways that may...
INTRODUCTION
Face coverings and distancing as preventative measures against the spread of the Coronavirus disease 2019 may impact communication in several ways that may disproportionately affect people with hearing loss. A scoping review was conducted to examine existing literature on the impact of preventative measures on communication and to characterize the clinical implications.
METHOD
A systematic search of three electronic databases (Scopus, PubMed, CINAHL) was conducted yielding 2,158 articles. After removing duplicates and screening to determine inclusion eligibility, key data were extracted from the 50 included articles. Findings are reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews, including the PRISMA-ScR checklist.
RESULTS
Studies fell into three categories: Studies addressing the impacts of personal protective equipment (PPE) and/or distancing on communication in healthcare contexts ( = 20); studies examining the impact of preventative measures on communication in everyday life ( = 13), and studies measuring the impact of face coverings on speech using acoustic and/or behavioral measures ( = 29). The review revealed that masks disrupt verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as emotional and social wellbeing and they impact people with hearing loss more than those without. These findings are presumably because opaque masks attenuate sound at frequencies above 1 kHz, and conceal the mouth and lips making lipreading impossible, and limit visibility of facial expressions. While surgical masks cause relatively little sound attenuation, transparent masks and face shields are highly attenuating. However, they are preferred by people with hearing loss because they give access to visual cues.
CONCLUSION
Face coverings and social distancing has detrimental effects that extend well beyond verbal and non-verbal communication, by affecting wellbeing and quality of life. As these measures will likely be part of everyday life for the foreseeable future, we propose that it is necessary to support effective communication, especially in healthcare settings and for people with hearing loss.
Topics: COVID-19; Communication; Humans; Masks; Quality of Life; SARS-CoV-2
PubMed: 35419343
DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.815259 -
Frontiers in Genetics 2021Mutations in the STRC (MIM 606440) gene, inducing DFNB16, are considered a major cause of mild-moderate autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL). We...
Mutations in the STRC (MIM 606440) gene, inducing DFNB16, are considered a major cause of mild-moderate autosomal recessive non-syndromic hearing loss (ARNSHL). We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the global prevalence and characteristics of STRC variations, important information required for genetic counseling. PubMed, Google Scholar, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles published before January 2021. The pooled prevalence of DFNB16 in GJB2-negative patients with hearing loss was 4.08% (95% CI: 0.0289-0.0573), and the proportion of STRC variants in the mild-moderate hearing loss group was 14.36%. Monoallelic mutations of STRC were 4.84% (95% CI: 0.0343-0.0680) in patients with deafness (non-GJB2) and 1.36% (95% CI: 0.0025-0.0696) in people with normal hearing. The DFNB16 prevalence in genetically confirmed patients (non-GJB2) was 11.10% (95% CI: 0.0716-0.1682). Overall pooled prevalence of deafness-infertility syndrome (DIS) was 36.75% (95% CI: 0.2122-0.5563) in DFNB16. The prevalence of biallelic deletions in STRC gene mutations was 70.85% (95% CI: 0.5824-0.8213). Variants in the STRC gene significantly contribute to mild-moderate hearing impairment. Moreover, biallelic deletions are a main feature of STRC mutations. Copy number variations associated with infertility should be seriously considered when investigating DFNB16.
PubMed: 34621290
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.707845 -
Journal of Clinical Immunology Jan 2023Sideroblastic anaemia with B-cell immunodeficiency, periodic fever and developmental delay (SIFD) syndrome is a novel rare autoinflammatory multisystem disorder. We... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Sideroblastic anaemia with B-cell immunodeficiency, periodic fever and developmental delay (SIFD) syndrome is a novel rare autoinflammatory multisystem disorder. We performed a systematic review of the available clinical and therapeutics aspects of the SIFD syndrome.
METHODS
A systematic review according to PRISMA approach, including all articles published before the 30 of July 2021 in Pubmed and EMBASE database, was performed.
RESULTS
The search identified 29 publications describing 58 unique patients. To date, 41 unique mutations have been reported. Onset of disease is very early with a median age of 4 months (range 0-252 months). The most frequent manifestations are haematologic such as microcytic anaemia or sideroblastic anaemia (55/58), recurrent fever (52/58), neurologic abnormalities (48/58), immunologic abnormalities in particular a humoral immunodeficiency (48/58), gastrointestinal signs and symptoms (38/58), eye diseases as cataract and retinitis pigmentosa (27/58), failure to thrive (26/58), mucocutaneous involvement (29/58), sensorineural deafness (19/58) and others. To date, 19 patients (35.85%) died because of disease course (16) and complications of hematopoietic cell stems transplantation (3). The use of anti-TNFα and hematopoietic cell stems transplantation (HCST) is dramatically changing the natural history of this disease.
CONCLUSIONS
SIFD syndrome is a novel entity to consider in a child presenting with recurrent fever, anaemia, B-cell immunodeficiency and neurodevelopmental delay. To date, therapeutic guidelines are lacking but anti-TNFα treatment and/or HCST are attractive and might modify the clinical course of this syndrome.
Topics: Child; Humans; Anemia, Sideroblastic; Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; Fever; Mutation; Developmental Disabilities
PubMed: 35984545
DOI: 10.1007/s10875-022-01343-0 -
BMJ Open Apr 2024The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between serum vitamin D level and the risk of developing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between serum vitamin D level and the risk of developing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) incidence and recurrence in countries in the Northern Hemisphere.
DESIGN
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
DATA SOURCES
PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science databases were searched for studies published between January 2000 and February 2023.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES
Participants located in the Northern Hemisphere aged 18 or over with at least one episode of BPPV, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels measured and reported, no comorbidities or history of vitamin D supplementation.
DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS
Data extraction and synthesis were performed by a single reviewer and checked by a second reviewer. Inclusion and exclusion criteria and risk of bias were assessed by two independent reviewers using the Newcastle Ottawa Tool for Cohort studies and Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for Nonrandomised Studies checklist for case-control studies. Meta-analysis was conducted using random effects models. Standard mean difference with a 95% CI was used to measure the relationship between vitamin D level and BPPV.
RESULTS
The 35 articles identified by the literature search reported data of 9843 individuals. 19 studies (7387 individuals) were included in the BPPV incidence meta-analysis while 7 studies (622 individuals) were included in the BPPV recurrence meta-analysis. Lower serum vitamin D levels were found in BPPV incidence compared with controls, but the relationship between vitamin D levels in recurrent BPPV compared with non-recurrent disease remained uncertain.
CONCLUSION
Results of this systematic review and meta-analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between serum vitamin D and BPPV incidence, while any relationship between serum vitamin D and BPPV recurrence remained uncertain. Risk of bias analysis revealed evidence of variable quality. There were insufficient data available to evaluate seasonal relationships between serum vitamin D and BPPV. Given the potential for this as a confounding factor, future research should aim to investigate this further.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42021271840.
Topics: Humans; Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo; Vitamin D Deficiency; Recurrence; Incidence; Vitamin D
PubMed: 38653514
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-077986 -
Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases Sep 2020Alström Syndrome (ALMS) is an ultra-rare multisystem genetic disorder caused by autosomal recessive variants in the ALMS1 gene, which is located on chromosome 2p13....
Alström Syndrome (ALMS) is an ultra-rare multisystem genetic disorder caused by autosomal recessive variants in the ALMS1 gene, which is located on chromosome 2p13. ALMS is a multisystem, progressive disease characterised by visual disturbance, hearing impairment, cardiomyopathy, childhood obesity, extreme insulin resistance, accelerated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), renal dysfunction, respiratory disease, endocrine and urologic disorders. Clinical symptoms first appear in infancy with great variability in age of onset and severity. ALMS has an estimated incidence of 1 case per 1,000,000 live births and ethnically or geographically isolated populations have a higher-than-average frequency. The rarity and complexity of the syndrome and the lack of expertise can lead to delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis and inadequate care. Multidisciplinary and multiprofessional teams of experts are essential for the management of patients with ALMS, as early diagnosis and intervention can slow the progression of multi-organ dysfunctions and improve patient quality of life.These guidelines are intended to define standard of care for patients suspected or diagnosed with ALMS of any age. All information contained in this document has originated from a systematic review of the literature and the experiences of the authors in their care of patients with ALMS. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE II) system was adopted for the development of the guidelines and for defining the related levels of evidence and strengths of recommendations.These guidelines are addressed to: a) specialist centres, other hospital-based medical teams and staffs involved with the care of ALMS patients, b) family physicians and other primary caregivers and c) patients and their families.
Topics: Alstrom Syndrome; Child; Consensus; Humans; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Quality of Life
PubMed: 32958032
DOI: 10.1186/s13023-020-01468-8