Health Tip: Deafness in Children

(HealthDay News) -- While deafness can be present at birth because of genetic factors or complications of birth itself, other medical and environmental factors can cause deafness after birth.

Here are some common causes of deafness after birth, courtesy of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association:

• Ear infections.
• Drugs that can cause harm to the ears and hearing.
• Diseases and conditions including meningitis, measles, encephalitis, chicken pox, flu and mumps.
• Injury to the head
• Damage to the ears caused by exposure to excessively loud noise.

-- Diana Kohnle

Last Updated: Oct. 3, 2006