Etiology of hearing loss in children. Nongenetic causes.

Every child with a hearing loss should have an evaluation to determine the cause of hearing loss. This article focuses on the nongenetic origins of hearing loss, the most frequent of which is the neonatal intensive care unit experience, followed by meningitis, cytomegalovirus, and other infections. Preventable causes such as exposure to ototoxic medications and noise are also discussed in this article.