Ibrahim Ali Khan recently opened up about his struggle with speech impediment since childhood due to severe jaundice. In a recent interview with GQ magazine, the 24-year-old actor said he had difficulty with speech since childhood and had to work "hard" on it.Talking to GQ magazine, he said, "Soon after I was born, I had very bad jaundice, and that went straight to my brainstem. I went on to lose quite a bit of my hearing, and that impacted my speech."He shared that he has worked a lot over the years to improve his speech and in fact, continues to do so. "My speech is something that I had to work hard on since I was a child, with coaches and therapists. It is not perfect; I am still working hard on it."How Does Jaundice Impact One's Speaking And Hearing Abilities?As per a 2018 study titled Risk Factors for Sensorineural Hearing Loss in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, published in the Iranian Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, hyperbilirubinemia is a common neonatal problem with toxic effects on the nervous system that can cause hearing impairment. What Is hyperbilirubinemia?As per the National Library of Medicine, jaundice is also known as hyperbilirubinemia. It is defined as a yellow discoloration of the body tissue resulting from the accumulation of excess bilirubin. Deposition of bilirubin happens only when there is an excess of bilirubin, and this indicates increased production or impaired excretion. The normal serum levels of bilirubin are less than 1 milligram per deciliter (mg/dL). However, the clinical presentation of jaundice with peripheral yellowing of the eye sclera, also called scleral icterus, is best appreciated when serum bilirubin levels exceed 3 mg/dl. As per the Nationwide Children's Hospital, jaundice is a very common condition in newborn babies and appears in the first few days or weeks of life. Most causes of jaundice are not caused by any disease or concerning problem and clear up quickly without any treatment. As per a 2016 study titled Audiologic impairment associated with bilirubin-induced neurologic damage, bilirubin-induced neurologic damage may occur in some infants. The auditory pathway is the most sensitive part of the central nervous system to bilirubin-induced toxicity, and permanent sequelae may result from only moderately elevated total serum/plasma bilirubin levels. The damage to the auditory system occurs primarily within the brainstem and cranial nerve VIII, and manifests clinically as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.As per these studies high levels of bilirubin damage various parts of the auditory system, which also include the auditory brainstem nuclei, auditory nerve, and spiral ganglion. It leads to hearing loss and other auditory issues, which can in fact be permanent. When the auditory nerves get damaged, the inner ear causes issues processing the sound, and it can thus translate into language difficulty. Severe jaundice and kernicterus can also cause other neurological problems, such as brain damage, cerebral palsy and developmental delays.