EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021
(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)
3/05/2019 | 11:35 AM - 12:00 PM | Using Data in an EHDI-IS to Identify Occupational Risk Factors for Infant Hearing Loss | Florence
Using Data in an EHDI-IS to Identify Occupational Risk Factors for Infant Hearing Loss
Usefulness is a key attribute of a surveillance system. The system may be considered useful if it stimulates epidemiologic research likely to lead to control or prevention. The Massachusetts EHDI-IS is linked to the electronic birth certificate (EBC), which collects information on many infant and parent characteristics. This data linkage sparked our interest in a possible connection between maternal occupation and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in infants. Such a link is reasonable considering that occupational exposure to certain drugs and chemicals causes adult hearing loss, and ototoxin exposure during pregnancy (e.g., antibiotic use) is known to cause hearing loss in children. Although hearing loss is the most common birth defect, it is still rare, affecting only 2 in 1000 babies. Consequently, to observe an association, many occupationally exposed mothers must be studied. Drugs, organic solvents, and pesticides are potent ototoxins encountered in occupations that employ many Massachusetts mothers. Specifically, pharmacists and those involved in drug manufacture may be exposed on the job to chemotherapeutic agents and antibiotics; manicurists are exposed occupationally to toluene, an ingredient in nail polish; cleaners may be exposed to trichloroethylene or other ototoxic organic solvents; landscapers and groundskeepers may use ototoxic insecticides, and vehicle drivers may inhale carbon monoxide fumes. After controlling for potentially confounding factors, the prevalence ratio relating EBC-noted maternal work in one of these occupations to SNHL among 203,842 Massachusetts births occurring between 2012 and 2015 was 2.18 (95% confidence interval, 1.37-3.47), indicating a statistically significant association. Maternal occupation has previously been linked in studies to major birth defects, but currently is not known as a risk factor for hearing loss. The relationship between maternal occupation and SNHL was stronger than those for several other suspected infant hearing loss risk factors. The occupational epidemiology of infant hearing loss deserves greater attention.
- Increased understanding of the epidemiology of infant hearing loss
- Increased understanding of uses of data in an EHDI-IS
- Increased understanding of chemical ototoxicity
Presentation:
18878_10415MarthaMorris.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
18878_10415MarthaMorris.docx
Presenters/Authors
Martha Morris
(), Massachusetts Department of Public Health, martha.morris@massmail.state.ma.us;
Since 2014, Dr. Morris has served as the epidemiologist for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program. She is also the Principal Investigator of a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement. She holds a PhD in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and has worked as an epidemiologist for more than 30 years. She recently returned to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, where her career began, from Tufts University, where her research focused on nutrition and aging.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exist.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exist.