HI is a potentially serious handicap, originating from the pre-, peri-, or postnatal period. In this epidemiological study of HI pre-school aged children born in the eighties in the city of Göteborg were investigated.

Results: 86 children with HI born during the 10-year period corresponded to 2/1000 newborns, a significantly lower incidence compared to the decade before. The decrease was in the 41-100 dB HI, while mild HI and the incidence of deafness were unchanged. Prenatal causes were detected in 57% with heredity as the dominating causative factor. No cases caused by rubella were detected and CMV was causative in only one case in spite of being activelly looked at by serologi. The number of perinatally caused cases was halfed to 6 cases in total, all of whom had a combination of several neonatal risk factors for HI. Birth weight distribution did not differ from that of the total population.

No case originating from otitis media was detected. All children with severe HI were diagnosed before the age of four. Associated handicaps were present in 40% of the children: visual abnormities were detected in 30%, mental retardation in 13% and autism spectrum disorders in 5%, respectively.

Conclusions: Vaccination against rubella and parotitis lowered the cases with about 20%. Improved perinatal care resulted in decreased cases of HI among high risk children. In spite of an increased number of HI detected at the child health clinics, the age at detection did not decrease. Associated handicaps are frequent and pediatric evaluation at the detection of the HI should always be considered.