Determination of the possible association between THAH and hypoacusis in a population of schoolchildren in Bogota.

From the perspective of the social determinants of health, defined as the set of social, economic and environmental factors that determine the health status of a population, it should be understood that the short- and long-term consequences of ADHD alter multiple spheres of the person's life, in addition to generating significant economic and social costs (13,15,26). These difficulties range from academic and occupational difficulties to psychoactive substance use, increased accident rates and involvement in criminal activities.
Patients diagnosed with ADHD, especially those who do not receive treatment, tend to have lower academic results than children without this pathology. In addition, they present difficulties in interpersonal relationships, lower satisfaction with their quality of life, lower self-esteem and a higher probability of having injuries due to accidents than their siblings of the same gender (27,29). Likewise, greater rejection by their peers in childhood is related to criminal activities, more intense smoking and greater anxiety and alterations later in life (15,30).
The pathology can also be seen in adults. In the USA, 4.4% of adults between 18 and 44 years of age suffer from it. This is associated with difficulties in work performance, traffic accidents and citations (10,15). Studies in search of long-term consequences have shown that these subjects have lower income and losses ranging from $209 USD to $6,699 USD due to absenteeism and poor work performance (10).
No study to date has sought to establish a formal diagnosis of ADHD in the deaf population. The aim of the present study is to identify a possible association between hearing loss and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Given the low prevalence of high severities of hearing loss in the population, the optimal design for the study of this association is a case-control study. A sample of a hearing-impaired population will be used, along with historical controls with normal hearing who were given the same ADHD screening protocol that will be applied at school. This design will allow us to identify the strength of the association between these two characteristics, also controlling for risk factors already described.