Why deafness takes place among people?
Is deafness a hereditary problem?
These are the two common questions that arise among people. And I believe it must have occurred with you as well!!
Before we go any further, let us know why deafness occurs in the first place!!
When you age, and when your ears are exposed to high and loud sounds, there are chances these can cause wear and tear on the hairs of the nerve cells which are in the cochlea.
The cochlea is responsible for sending signals to the brain. So when it gets damaged, it can’t convey signals any longer. Hence, hearing issues take place.
Now, is deafness genetic, or what genetic problems can lead to deafness?
Through this article, you get all the answers, so keep reading till the end!!!
Hearing Loss: A Genetic Problem?
You must have seen people who are young and fit, yet they have issues in hearing!!!
That’s not because they were exposed to high sounds and all; It’s because they had someone in the family bloodline who had this hearing issue. Therefore, they inherited it!!
These sorts of problems can occur due to gene mutations. Otosclerosis, Usher’s syndrome, and Pendred syndrome are all hereditary conditions that cause hearing loss.
In short, if any of your ancestors or family members have these conditions, then there are chances you might develop as well!!
Otosclerosis
This disorder takes place because of the ear’s inability to amplify the sound. Three bones in our ear are connected to the eardrum to help boost the sound waves.
But when one of the bones cannot vibrate freely or amplify the sound, you tend to develop this condition.
Around 200,000 cases of otosclerosis are said to be recorded each year.
Usher’s Syndrome
This is a rare genetic condition where the victim suffers from deafness due to the impaired ability of the inner ear and auditory nerves to transmit sound signals to the brain.
This condition is also responsible for causing damage to the retina of the eyes, which can slowly lead to loss of vision.
Pendred Syndrome
This disorder is connected with hearing loss and a thyroid condition called a goiter.
Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
This condition can also cause deafness among people.
Symptoms of this condition include hearing loss from birth, changes in the inner ear and enlargement of the thyroid gland, and enlarged vestibular aqueduct ( an inner ear abnormality).
This condition is caused due to cell mutation and is inherited from generation to generation!!!
Gene Mutation: Promotes Hearing Loss
The human body is composed of trillions of cells, and each cell consists of at least 30,000 genes.
Genes are made up of chromosomes which make up our DNA and hold our hereditary.
So, if any one of your ancestors had a cell mutation or, to be more precise, “changes in the DNA,” then there are chances for you to inherit that particular changed DNA.
Not necessarily; gene mutation directly affects hearing loss; for example, if your inner ear is genetically deformed or anything, there are chances for you to develop hearing issues.
As genes are passed from your parents. So if anyone of them contains gene mutations that deal with hearing conditions, then there are high chances you’ll develop them.
Are There Any Solutions For This?
No problems arise without a solution.
Medical science has evolved so much that there are solutions for everything in this modern world.
Although you have hearing loss due to inheritance, there’s not much that the doctors can do. But they can indeed advise you with a device called “hearing aid.”
Hearing aid devices are used to help people with hearing loss or those who can’t hear properly.
It’s a small electronic device that people wear behind their ears to hear and communicate with ease. These devices amplify the sound that the patients hear. Hence they are able to listen to the sounds loudly and clearly.
Through the help of this article, we’ll get to know how the future hearing aid technology will be of great news for deaf or partially deaf patients!!
As Robert. A. Heinlein said, “Everything is theoretically impossible until it’s practically done.”
Who could have ever imagined that people who are deaf or are unable to hear appropriately will be able to hear even the sound of a pin falling in a silent room just with the help of a small electronic device attached to their ear!!!
Exactly. No one, right!!!!
But it happened. That’s the magic of MODERN SCIENCE!!!!!
I hope this article will now help you to know how genetic problems promote deafness and how you can deal with it as well!!!!
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