Distúrbio do processamento auditivo em crianças diagnosticadas com toxoplasmose congênita

Abstract

Introduction: Congenital Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease transmitted from mother to fetus, which affects, among other consequences, peripheral and central auditory impairments. Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) refers to deficits in the neural processing of auditory stimuli. This disorder can lead to academic difficulties and linguistic impairments. Consequently, it is of utmost importance to identify and early evaluate children diagnosed with Congenital Toxoplasmosis to determine if they are at risk for CAPD, as well as to assess the incidence of this disorder within this population. The use of behavioral questionnaires allows extracting qualitative information that may be related to Central Auditory Processing Disorders and can assist in screening for potential alterations in children with academic difficulties. Objective: To verify the agreement between the Fisher Auditory Problems Checklist for Auditory Processing Evaluation (QFISHER) (Cibian and Pereira, 2014) and the Scale of Auditory Behaviors (SAB) (Nunes, 2013) and to assess the incidence of Central Auditory Processing Disorder in children diagnosed with Congenital Toxoplasmosis. Methods: This is an observational analytical cross-sectional study conducted with children and adolescents aged 10 to 14 years who are followed by the pediatric service of the University Hospital. The research was approved by opinion number 3.085.362. Development: The patients underwent audiometry and impedance audiometry exams, and two behavioral questionnaires were applied to screen for CAPD. Those who were found to be at risk for CAPD were then subjected to CAP evaluation. Data analysis included the Kappa Coefficient Test. Results: A total of 81 adolescents participated in the study, and all of them had hearing within normal standards. The QFISHER questionnaire was administered to all adolescents, while the SAB questionnaire was only applied to 54 due to the interruption of data collection caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The application of the QFISHER questionnaire indicated that 19 adolescents (23.4%) required a comprehensive CAP evaluation, and the SAB triaged that 11 adolescents (26.8%) also needed further evaluation. The analysis of agreement between the QFISHER and SAB questionnaires revealed a statistically significant moderate level of concordance (0.593). From the evaluation of CAP incidence in these children, it was found that auditory closure presented an alteration frequency of 25%, dichotic listening presented an alteration frequency of 75%, temporal processing presented an alteration frequency of 91.7%, and binaural interaction presented an alteration frequency of 33.3%. Conclusion: The study found that the degree of agreement between the behavioral questionnaires for screening Central Auditory Processing, QFISHER, and SAB, was moderate, and that auditory processing skills of temporal processing and dichotic listening are frequently altered in these patients.