2020 Type and Severity Summary of Identified Cases of Hearing Loss

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Data Source: 2020 CDC Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Hearing Screening & Follow-up Survey (HSFS)

Background: CDC’s National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities promotes the health of babies, children, and adults, with a focus on preventing birth defects and developmental disabilities and optimizing the health outcomes of those with disabilities. As part of these efforts, the Center is actively involved in addressing the early identification of permanent hearing loss among newborns and infants. Hearing loss affects between 1 and 2 per 1,000 infants in the United States and, when left undetected, can delay a child’s speech and language, social, and emotional development.1 To ensure children with permanent hearing loss are identified as soon as possible, states and territories have implemented Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs. These EHDI programs work to ensure all infants are screened for hearing loss, ideally before 1 month of age; receive diagnostic audiologic evaluation (for those not passing the screening), ideally before 3 months of age; and are enrolled in early intervention (for those identified with permanent hearing loss), ideally before 6 months of age.2 The Hearing Screening & Follow-up Survey is a voluntary survey sent out annually by CDC to each state and territorial EHDI program that requests nonestimated hearing screening, diagnostic, and intervention information on infants born in a specified calendar year (e.g., 2020). The survey helps to assess the progress of EHDI efforts to identify infants with permanent hearing loss across the United States.

  • This summary highlights type and severity of permanent hearing loss for babies born between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
  • These data are based on the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) classification system for hearing loss. The ASHA categories are as followed:
ASHA Categories
Degree of Hearing Loss Hearing loss range (dB HL)
Normal

-10 to 15

Slight

16 to 25

Mild

26 to 40

Moderate

41 to 55

Moderately severe

56 to 70

Severe

71 to 90

Profound

91+

 

Number of Survey Respondents Who Provided Type and Severity Data: 52α (47 states, 4 territories, 1 district) AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, CT, DE, District of Columbia, FL, GA, Guam, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, ME, MD, MA, MI, Micronesia, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, Puerto Rico, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY

1 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). Effects of hearing loss on development. Available at: https://www.asha.org/public/hearing/effects-of-hearing-loss-on-development.
Accessed April 8, 2021

2 Year 2019 Position Statement: Principles and Guidelines for Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Programs (2019). Journal of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention, 4(2), 1-44. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol4/iss2/1/

2020 Type and Severity Summary of Identified Cases of Hearing Loss (By Ear):ASHA Classification
Total Number of Reported Infants with Hearing Loss, 2020 CDC EHDI HSFS 6,142 Children
BILATERAL (by Ear) UNILATERAL (by Ear) LATERALITY UNKNOWN (i.e., Unknown if case is a unilateral or bilateral loss)
RIGHT EAR LEFT EAR UNKNOWN EAR (degree of loss for each ear) RIGHT EAR LEFT EAR UNKNOWN EAR

Sensorineural

Slight

37

32

1

1

5

11

0

0

Mild

623

621

0

0

98

116

0

0

Moderate

702

729

0

0

102

130

0

1

Moderately Severe

297

288

0

0

55

59

0

1

Severe

233

240

0

0

72

100

0

3

Profound

599

607

2

2

163

149

0

2

Unknown Severity

82

68

0

0

24

16

0

7

Conductive

Slight

2

6

0

0

7

4

0

0

Mild

63

56

0

0

31

24

0

0

Moderate

78

81

0

0

93

50

0

1

Moderately Severe

66

61

0

0

139

79

0

1

Severe

23

21

0

0

49

21

0

0

Unknown Severity

56

54

0

0

62

39

0

0

Mixed

Slight

3

1

0

0

0

0

1

0

Mild

37

36

0

0

8

10

0

0

Moderate

90

87

0

0

21

17

0

1

Moderately Severe

68

75

0

0

21

24

0

0

Severe

51

48

0

0

5

19

0

0

Profound

19

24

0

0

12

8

0

0

Unknown Severity

22

15

0

0

11

2

0

0

Type Unknown

Slight

11

15

0

0

7

5

1

0

Mild

71

76

0

0

20

24

0

12

Moderate

49

53

0

0

9

19

0

18

Moderately Severe

40

34

0

0

11

12

0

2

Severe

34

32

0

0

16

15

0

4

Profound

28

23

0

0

9

7

0

6

Unknown Severity

60

59

0

0

16

14

0

109

Auditory Neuropathy

Slight

2

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Mild

4

5

0

0

0

0

0

0

Moderate

6

4

0

0

0

0

0

1

Moderately Severe

4

4

0

0

2

1

0

0

Severe

7

7

0

0

5

7

0

0

Profound

28

28

0

0

20

19

0

1

Unknown Severity

104

108

0

0

42

59

3

0

Totals by Ear

3,599

3,599

3

3

1,135

1,060

5

170

Totals by Child

3,599

3

1,135

1,060

5

170

Laterality Totals (by Child)

3,602 Bilateral Cases

2,200 Unilateral Cases

 

Total all Types and Severity (by Child)

5,972

Cases Resolved (i.e., hearing loss to no hearing loss)

170

Overall Total (by Child)

6,142

Summary of Type and Severity of Identified Cases of Hearing Loss in 2020

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