Gene for Hearing Loss Discovered
Friday, April 10th, 2009An international team of scientists from the US, France and Germany have found a gene associated with a newly identified type of hearing loss.
The gene is called SLC17A8 and is believed to be the cause of a previously unidentified class of congenital hearing loss. It is characterized by diminished ability to hear high frequency sound. According to a scientist at the University of Michigan Health System, Marci Lesperance, MD, the degree of hearing loss and the ages affected varies in individuals.
The discovery of the gene now allows for a simple screening test to indentify if a patient has a disposition for the specific type of hearing loss associated with SLC17A8 . Researchers found that this new found type of hearing loss is similar to presbycusis, a type of bilateral, age-related hearing loss. They believe that studying the gene will bring greater understanding about age related hearing loss and its causes.
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