Incidence, Prevalence and Etiology of Hearing Impairment in Children in the County of VÄsterbotten, Sweden

During the period 1964-83, 63463 children were born in the county of Vasterbotten, Sweden. Of these children, 160 had a hearing impairment ≥30 dB HL mean hearing loss for the frequencies 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 kHz in the better-hearing ear. The mean annual incidence of hearing impairment was 2.5 per 1000 and the prevalence was 2.6 per 1000. Hereditary factors were present in 46% and no etiology could be established in 34% of the cases. The incidence of hearing impairment was greater than has been presented in studies from other areas in Europe.