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Genetic Hearing Loss

July 2005 - It's well established that genetic mutations cause a large portion of hearing loss cases; now scientists have found that other mutations can exacerbate the effects of the original mutations!

January 2006 - Genetics and Hearing Loss: An Overview

May 2006 - Genetic cause of hearing loss in aging

August 2006 - DNA Differences Between People With Hearing Loss and Those Without

August 2006 - Gene linked to Hearing Loss in Aged Identified

August 2006 - New Study Aims to Uncover Genetic Factors for Hearing Loss

February 2007 - Scientists identify molecular cause for one form of deafness

June 2007 - Boffin identifies gene causing otosclerosis

September 2007 - Genetic Basis of Hearing Loss

 

November 2007 - Genes Influence Age-Related Hearing Loss

 

March 2008 - Researchers Find a Genetic Cause for Hearing Loss That's Inherited from Mother

 

June 2008 - Smoking and weight-gain linked to hearing loss

 

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Genetics and Hearing Loss: An Overview

 

January 2006

Knowing the exact cause of a child's hearing loss can assist clinicians and parents in making decisions regarding treatment and educational options. It may surprise some parents to know that more than half of all children who are born deaf or who become deaf very early in life have a genetic cause for their hearing loss. In fact, recent  studies have revealed that approximately 50-60% of moderate to profound, congenital, or early-onset hearing loss is genetic. The remaining 40-50% of hearing loss is due to non-genetic effects, such as maternal infection (CMV or rubella), prematurity, postnata infection (meningitis, otitis media), ototoxic drugs, or acoustic/ cranial trauma.  Full Story

 

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DNA Differences Between People With Hearing Loss and Those Without

 

August 2006

 

Drugs to stop old people going deaf may be a step nearer after scientists identified the gene at fault. They found huge DNA differences between people who lose their hearing and those who do not.

 

Now they hope the KCNQ4 gene discovery paves the way for drugs to prevent deafness and bring relief to Britain's 6.5million over-60s affected.

 

Dr Ralph Holme of the Royal National Institute for the Deaf, which funded the study, said: "We are optimistic that people will no longer face the prospect of losing their hearing as they age."  Full Story

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Gene linked to Hearing Loss in Aged Identified

August 2006

 

Loss of hearing in the elderly has been blamed on defects in a specific gene according to studies by Dutch researchers. It has been estimated that about 37% of Britons from ages 61 to 70 and 60% of those from ages 71 to 80 about 6.5m people are said to have age-related hearing loss. The Human Mutation study that was conducted on 1,200 people revealed subtle changes in the gene, KCNQ4 more frequent among those with age-related hearing problems. According to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, which funded the work, the study offered "real hope for treatments."  Full Story

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Boffin identifies gene causing otosclerosis

June 2007

A new study has identified a gene responsible for otosclerosis - the single most common cause of hearing loss among white adults. Melissa Thys, from the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, Belgium, said that this finding may be a step towards new treatments for otosclerosis, which affects approximately 1 in 250 people. Otosclerosis is a multifactorial disease, caused by an interaction of genetic and environmental factors. The outcome is a progressive hearing loss as the growing bone in the middle ear interrupts the sound waves passing to the inner ear. While the causative factors remain unknown, now one of the genetic components has been identified.  Full Story

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Genetic Basis of Hearing Loss

September 2007

Editor: The folks at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington are looking at the genetic basis of hearing loss. This article first appeared in their online newsletter at http://depts.washington.edu/hearing/pdf/bloedelsound.pdf

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As of 2006, researchers have identified 145 different genetic loci that cause hearing loss in humans. Of these deafness-causing locations in the genome, the specific mutated gene has been identified for 80 of them. The complex structure of the auditory system and its demand for fast and precise signaling to the brain is the likely reason why there are such a large number of different genes, mutations in which cause hearing loss. The fact that auditory system malfunctions are not lethal to either humans or mice makes genetic analysis of hearing loss a particularly useful way to probe the biological basis of hearing loss and deafness. While convenient for understanding how hearing happens, the human cost of hearing loss is very large, having both enormous social impact as well as significant economic consequences. Detailed studies on each gene that contributes to hearing loss provides information on the basic biology of hearing and provides clues as to how hearing loss might be ameliorated in affected individuals.