Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder is a type of sensorineural hearing loss caused by a problem in the inner ear. Symptoms can appear at any age, but usually a child with ANSD is born with it.

Hearing loss is one of the most common disorders that appear at different ages due to various factors, or a baby is born with it congenitally.... But the cause of the auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder is not yet fully known and it is considered as a new hearing loss disease...

ANSD disorder accounts for about 10% to 15% of hearing loss cases, and if diagnosed early, can improve children's communication with the help of medical equipment and language skills.

What is auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder?

AAuditory Neuropathy Disorder or ANSD is a problem in which, despite the normal detection of sounds by the inner ear, its transmission to the brain is not done correctly... This disorder is common among infants, and most of them have difficulty distinguishing one person's voice from another's voice or do not have a clear understanding of speech..

Therefore, it can be said that auditory neuropathy has a direct effect on a person's ability to hear and understand speech.. The child may hear sounds well but not be able to recognize spoken words correctly.... These children receive internal and external sounds in a blurred and inconsistent way.

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The cause of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

The main cause of ANSD disorder is not yet fully known to researchers.... They believe that this disorder probably has more than one cause.... The most common causes of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder are:

• Genetics
• Blow to the brain
• Severe jaundice in infancy
• lack of oxygen at birth
• immune deficiency disorders
• Infectious diseases such as mumps
• Neurological disorders (Friedrich's ataxia)
• Premature birth of a baby

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How the ears and hearing function

Disruption in the auditory neuropathy spectrum occurs when the ear loses its normal function.... When sound waves travel through the air to the outer ear, they reach the middle ear (tympanic membrane) with the help of the ear canal.... The eardrum is vibrated by the sound and the sounds enter the inner ear..

The outer hair cells located in the inner ear amplify sound vibrations... If the ear is healthy, the inner hair cells convert these vibrations into electrical signals and send them to the brain as nerve impulses so that the brain interprets them as sound.

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Symptoms of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

A child born with mild ANSD may not have obvious signs of hearing loss in a newborn hearing screening.. ANSD symptoms can appear at any age..

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These children always have problems in understanding speech.. In fact, one of the main symptoms of people with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorders can be seen as many problems in understanding speech... Other symptoms of this disorder include the following:

• The child's lack of reaction to loud sounds
• Contradictory response to parents' speech
• Inability to produce syllables and laugh until 8 months
• Inability to understand speech, especially during noise
• Changing the child's hearing on a daily or even hourly basis
• The child's inability to imitate the voice and respond to the parents' simple requests up to 12 months old

If you notice symptoms of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder in infants and children, be sure to consult an otolaryngologist or audiologist at GCORP LLC.

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Diagnosis of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder

Health professionals use a combination of several special tests to confirm or rule out ANSD. These tests are part of a newborn hearing screening that pediatricians or audiologists perform without the need for hospitalization in hearing centers.

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1... Ear acoustic emission test or OAE

This test is needed to check the function of the outer hair cells in the cochlea.. The child usually sleeps with a sedative to keep him calm and still..

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2... Middle ear muscle reflex test or MEMR

Another necessary test for diagnosing auditory neuropathy is this test that examines the ear's response to loud sounds.. The ear of a child with ANSD disorder does not respond when hearing loud sounds in the MEMR test..

The plastic circuit emits loud sounds when placed in the ear so that the device records the reaction of the child's ear, if present... This test can be done while the child is asleep.

3... Auditory brainstem response test or ABR

The ABR test is a valid test to diagnose auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder because it checks whether the auditory nerve is able to transmit sound to the brain.. Probably because the child is sleeping, the brain does not receive the information clearly.

In these cases, the doctor puts headphones in the child's ears to make sounds and measures the brain activity with small electrodes on the child's head.

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4.... other tests

If previous tests confirm auditory neuropathy in children, new tests should be performed as we have introduced in the table below.

Treatment of ANSD disorder

Currently, researchers are looking for a definitive way to treat auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.. They recommend that the best way to treat ANSD disorder is to use communication aids and strengthen children's communication skills...

Usually, the medical team including ear, nose and throat specialist, pediatrician and audiologist will help you in treating this disorder.

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Communication assistance device

The severity of the disorder and the age of diagnosis of ANSD in children can have a great impact on the treatment. Communication aids for the treatment of ANSD disorder include the following:

• FM system: With the help of this system, children with ANSD can hear the speaker louder, because the FM system reduces the background noise.... You need to speak into the special microphone and transmitter so that the child receives the electrical signal with the wireless receiver on the ear.
• Hearing Aid: If the outer hair cells are not working properly, the hearing aid helps to amplify the sound.. Usually the use of hearing aid should be combined with the FM system so that the child with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder can hear sounds more clearly.. Ear... Cochlear implantation is done through surgery inside the skull and behind the ear.... This method helps a child with ANSD disorder, but training and treatment afterward are more important for effectiveness.

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Communication skills

One of the useful solutions that increase the effectiveness of ANSD disorder treatment is to seek help from an audiologist and pathologist. By providing speech therapy and strengthening communication skills such as sign language and lip reading, these people can strengthen the speech and hearing of a child with auditory neuropathy disorder..

Concluding remarks

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder is a new hearing loss condition, and researchers are still investigating the genes that predispose to the problem... The disorder is common in infants, and some recover after a year or two, but in others, ANSD remains the same or worsens over time.

In this article from GCORP LLC magazine, we introduced you to the cause, symptoms and treatment solutions of auditory neuropathy disorder... You can also share your opinions and experiences with us... Click for an online consultation with an otolaryngologist.

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Source: cincinnatichildrens | nidcd