Hearing loss can run in families, yet you may not share the same hearing as the relatives who came before you. At Staverman Hearing Centers on San Jose Boulevard in Jacksonville, audiologist and owner Leslie Staverman, Au.D., evaluates hearing in the context of your family history, drawing on more than 25 years in hearing healthcare to help you understand how genetics may affect your hearing. When hearing loss is common in your family, early testing and protective habits deserve a place at the top of your list, so you can preserve your hearing and address changes sooner.
How Do Changes in Your Genes Lead to Hearing Loss?
Changes in your genes can lead to hearing loss when they affect how the ear develops or functions. 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.
This type of 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 Likely Are You to Pass Hearing Loss to Your Children?
How likely you are to pass hearing loss to your children 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.
About 80% of nonsyndromic genetic hearing loss follows the autosomal recessive pattern, 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.
Why Does Hereditary Hearing Loss Sometimes Take Years to Notice?
Hereditary hearing loss sometimes takes years to notice because some forms are progressive and develop gradually over years or decades. Others are congenital and identified through newborn hearing screening, so genetic hearing loss may become noticeable at birth, during childhood, or later in adulthood.
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 Soon Should Someone With a Family History Get a Hearing Test?
Someone with a family history of hearing loss should have a hearing test as soon as they notice changes in hearing, and baseline testing and regular evaluations can be valuable 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.
For adults, a baseline hearing evaluation provides a reference point for tracking changes over time. Leslie Staverman 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, she 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.
What Everyday Choices Help Preserve Your Hearing Long Term?
The everyday choices that help preserve your hearing include limiting noise exposure, using hearing protection, reviewing medications with your healthcare providers, managing your overall health, and scheduling regular hearing evaluations. They matter even more when you have a genetic risk of hearing loss.
Because some genes can make the inner ear more vulnerable to damage, avoiding additional strain is especially important. Wearing earplugs, earmuffs or other hearing protection 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, Leslie Staverman can recommend options such as hearing aids and track changes over time to adjust your care as needed.
See Leslie Staverman, Au.D., for a Hearing Evaluation in Jacksonville
If hearing loss runs in your family, a hearing evaluation with Leslie Staverman, Au.D., is a smart place to start. Your first test establishes a baseline and helps determine whether you need treatment now or ongoing monitoring.
Call 904-685-1394 or contact Staverman Hearing Centers to schedule an appointment at our San Jose Boulevard office in Jacksonville.