Hearing loss can run in families, though you may not be as susceptible as your parents or grandparents. At Center For Better Hearing on Bay Road in Queensbury, audiologists Cara Bedore, Au.D., FAAA, Susan Boggia, Au.D., CCC/FAAA, and Meredith DeVaney, Au.D., evaluate hearing within the context of family history to help you understand how genetics may affect your hearing health. If hearing loss is a known condition in your family, early testing and protective habits deserve a place at the top of your list, because they help you preserve your hearing and address changes sooner.
What Is Going On Inside the Ear With Genetic Hearing Loss?
Inside the ear, genetic hearing loss reflects changes in genes that affect how the ear develops or functions, most often involving the inner ear. Most genetic hearing loss is sensorineural, meaning it involves the hair cells of the inner ear or the auditory nerve. It may be present at birth or develop later in life.
Genetic hearing loss is generally divided into two categories. Nonsyndromic hearing loss accounts for about 70% of genetic cases and occurs without other medical symptoms. Syndromic hearing loss makes up the remaining 30% and occurs alongside other health conditions, such as Usher, Pendred, and Waardenburg syndromes.
How Is Hearing Loss Handed Down From One Generation to the Next?
Hearing loss is handed down from one generation to the next through several inheritance patterns, and the pattern of the specific gene involved sets each child’s chance. Depending on the pattern, that chance may range from no risk to 50% or higher, and in many cases, parents with normal hearing can still have a child with genetic hearing loss.
The main inheritance patterns include:
- Autosomal dominant: Only one changed gene from one parent is needed, giving each child a 50% chance of inheriting the condition.
- Autosomal recessive: Both parents carry one changed gene without having hearing loss themselves, giving each child a 25% chance of inheriting the condition.
- X-linked: The changed gene is on the X chromosome, so males are more likely to be affected, while females are often carriers.
- Mitochondrial: The condition is passed only by the mother and can affect all of her children.
Autosomal recessive inheritance accounts for about 80% of nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss, which explains why most infants with hearing loss are born to parents with normal hearing. Even within the same family, severity and age of onset can vary from one person to another.
How Can You Tell if Inherited Hearing Loss Is Starting?
You can often tell inherited hearing loss is starting by its signs, which may become noticeable at birth, during childhood, or later in adulthood. Some forms are congenital and identified through newborn hearing screening, while others are progressive and develop gradually over years or decades.
Congenital hearing loss affects up to three in every 1,000 babies, and inherited genetic factors contribute to about 60% of hearing loss in infants. In young children, signs may include not reacting to loud sounds, not turning toward voices, or delays in speech and language development.
Later-onset genetic hearing loss often develops slowly, which can make it easy to overlook. Adults may notice:
- Difficulty following conversations in noisy places
- Asking others to repeat themselves
- Turning up the television or phone volume
- Ringing or buzzing in the ears
Because gradual changes can go unnoticed, family members are often the first to recognize them.
Does a Family History Call for Hearing Tests in Queensbury?
A family history of hearing loss calls for a hearing test as soon as you notice changes, and baseline testing with regular evaluations may help even before symptoms appear.
Almost all hospitals screen newborns for hearing loss within the first few days of life. Children who pass newborn screening but have a family history of hearing loss may still benefit from monitoring, since some genetic forms develop later. Our audiologists provide hearing care for patients of all ages.
For adults, a baseline hearing evaluation provides a reference point for tracking changes over time. Cara Bedore, Susan Boggia, or Meredith DeVaney can perform a comprehensive hearing test, discuss your family history, and recommend how often you should return for follow-up testing. When a genetic cause is suspected, your audiologist may recommend a referral for genetic counseling or testing. Currently, no genetic test can predict whether a person will develop age-related hearing loss, which makes regular hearing evaluations especially important.
Which Daily Choices Help Protect Hearing When Genes Raise the Risk?
The daily choices that help protect your hearing when genes raise the risk include limiting noise exposure, using hearing protection, reviewing medications with your healthcare providers, managing your overall health, and scheduling regular hearing evaluations.
Because some genes can make the inner ear more vulnerable to damage, avoiding additional strain is especially important. Wearing earplugs or earmuffs around loud equipment, concerts, or firearms and keeping headphone volume at moderate levels can reduce noise exposure. Some medications can affect hearing, so let your healthcare providers know about a family history of hearing loss before starting new prescriptions.
Overall health also plays a role. Conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes may increase the risk of hearing loss, so managing these conditions supports long-term hearing health.
When hearing loss does develop, our audiologists can recommend options such as hearing aids and track changes over time to adjust your care as needed.
See Our Audiologists at Center For Better Hearing in Queensbury
If hearing loss runs in your family, a hearing evaluation with Cara Bedore, Susan Boggia, or Meredith DeVaney is a smart way to begin. Your first visit establishes a baseline and helps determine whether treatment or continued monitoring fits your needs.
Call 518-638-4363 or contact Center For Better Hearing to schedule an appointment at our office at 726 Bay Road in Queensbury.