Hearing loss can run in families, though you may not be as susceptible as your parents or grandparents. At My Hearing Aid Place, co-owners Trisha L. Dibkey, Au.D., CCC-A, and Karla McKenzie, MCD, CCC-A, bring more than 35 years of combined audiology experience to every evaluation, and they consider your family’s hearing history alongside your results. If hearing loss is a known condition in your family, early testing and protective habits help you preserve your hearing and address changes sooner, whether you visit us in Richmond Hill or Savannah.
How Do Changes in Genes Affect the Way You Hear?
Changes in genes can affect the way you hear by altering how the ear develops or functions, which is what causes genetic hearing loss. 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.
Will Your Kids Inherit Your Hearing Loss?
Whether your kids inherit your hearing loss depends on the inheritance pattern of the specific gene involved. Depending on the pattern, a child’s 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 one family, severity and age of onset can vary from person to person.
Can Genetic Hearing Loss Begin in Middle Age or Later?
Genetic hearing loss can begin in middle age or later, although some forms are noticeable at birth or during childhood. Congenital forms are identified through newborn hearing screening, while progressive forms 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.
How Often Should Relatives of People With Hearing Loss Get Tested?
Relatives of people with hearing loss should get a baseline hearing test even before symptoms appear and then follow the testing schedule their audiologist recommends. You should also have your hearing tested as soon as you notice changes.
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.
For adults, a baseline hearing evaluation provides a reference point for tracking changes over time. Trisha Dibkey or Karla McKenzie 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, our audiologists 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 Everyday Choices Protect Hearing With a Genetic Risk?
The everyday choices that protect hearing with a genetic risk include limiting noise exposure, using hearing protection, reviewing medications with your healthcare providers, managing your overall health, and keeping regular hearing evaluations on your calendar.
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.
Start With a Hearing Test in Richmond Hill or Savannah
If hearing loss runs in your family, a hearing evaluation with Trisha Dibkey, Au.D., or Karla McKenzie, MCD, gives you a clear picture of where your hearing stands. That first appointment sets a baseline and helps determine whether you need treatment now or continued monitoring.
Call our Richmond Hill office at 912-513-5794 or our Savannah office at 912-513-3057, or contact My Hearing Aid Place to schedule an appointment.