Common causes of deafness
- Otitis media which is a common infection, especially in children before school age in developing countries;
- Other infectious diseases, e.g. meningitis, measles, viral encaphalitides, mumps, malaria, herpes type 2 virus and cytomegalovirus infections;
- Disease of the mother during pregnancy, e.g. rubella, cytomegalovirus;
- Perinatal factors such as anoxia, traumatic brain damage, jaundice, rhesus;
- Excessive noise exposure over extended periods of time;
- Genetic factors, which might cause symptoms to appear at birth or later in life. It is generally accepted that about half of all hearing impairment among children is of genetic origin;
- Ototoxic drugs, e.g. antibiotics, analgesics, antipyretics.