Which of the following statements concerning sensorineural hearing loss in children with bacterial meningitis are TRUE?
Sensorineural hearing loss is detected by evoked-response audiometry in between 5 and 10% of children with bacterial meningitis. Up to 30% of children with meningitis caused by S. pneumoniae will have hearing deficits. Hearing loss generally is noted early in the course of bacterial meningitis and occurs despite prompt initiation of appropriate antimicrobial therapy. All children with bacterial meningitis should have hearing assessment by evoked-response audiometry before or soon after hospital discharge. Ref: Roos K.L., Brosch J.R. (2012). Chapter 199. Meningitis and Encephalitis. In G.V. Lawry, S.C. McKean, J. Matloff, J.J. Ross, D.D. Dressler, D.J. Brotman, J.S. Ginsberg (Eds), Principles and Practice of Hospital Medicine.
It occurs rarely (less than 5% of cases)
It occurs more commonly when Haemophilus influenza type B rather than Streptococcus pneumonia is the causative organism of the meningitis
Its onset often is late in the clinical course, after discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy
Prompt institution of antimicrobial therapy appears not to influence the incidence