Our Research

The Early Ear project investigates how fetal exposure to medications may influence the development of congenital and early-onset hearing loss in children. Despite systematic neonatal hearing screening and extensive diagnostic work-up, the aetiology of childhood hearing loss remains unknown in a substantial proportion of cases. Identifying potentially modifiable prenatal risk factors is therefore essential for prevention, early identification, and targeted follow-up.

Using nationwide Danish register data, we aim to quantify the association between in utero exposure to selected medications and the risk of congenital and early-developed hearing loss. The project combines pharmacoepidemiological methods with advanced registry-based study designs, including validation studies, causal inference approaches, and time-resolved analyses of exposure and outcome.

A central component of the project is the validation of diagnostic codes for childhood hearing loss in Danish health registries, ensuring high precision in outcome classification. The validated data are subsequently used to study medication exposure during pregnancy in relation to hearing loss, as well as patterns of co-morbidity and treatment trajectories, including hearing aids, cochlear implantation, and hearing-preserving surgery.

The project is multidisciplinary, bridging obstetrics, audiology/otorhinolaryngology, paediatrics, and epidemiology, and is designed to provide robust evidence to inform clinical counselling, risk stratification, and future preventive strategies.

Funding

GN Store Nord

Collaborations

• Christer Zøylner Swan, MD, PHD, Otorhinolaryngology Private Practice, Denmark
• Therese Ovesen, Cinical professor and PI of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, and the University Clinic of Flavour, Balance and Sleep; Goedstrup Hospital.