Hearing and communicative skills in the first years of life in children with congenital Zika syndrome

Introduction: Microcephaly is recognized as one of the main consequences of Zika congenital syndrome, but other serious problems, such as global hypertonia, irritability, excessive crying, swallowing disorders, seizures, visual impairment, and sensorineural hearing loss, have been identified as associated with the syndrome. Objective To describe the characteristics of the development of auditory and language skills in the first year of life of children with normal hearing thresholds and congenital Zika syndrome. Method Cross-sectional study that assessed hearing and language skills in the first year of life of 88 children with normal peripheral hearing and confirmed congenital Zika syndrome. All children underwent a behavioral hearing test and a validated questionnaire was addressed to parents or caregivers and used as an instrument to assess hearing and communication skills. Results Communication skill delay was present in 87.5% of children, while 44.3% of them had auditory skill delay. Only altered cervical motor control showed a statistically significant association with delays in both skills (p value=0.006 and <0.001 for auditory and communication skills, respectively), while the presence of microcephaly and the degree of its severity were associated only with delayed development of communication skills. Conclusion Despite a normal peripheral auditory system, children with congenital Zika syndrome may have delayed language development because they have neurological damage in the auditory processing center, requires more specific studies to clarify language acquisition in this population.