Hearing loss can run in families, though family members aren’t always equally susceptible. At North Hills Hearing & Balance Center on Norwood Drive in Hurst, audiologists Rebecca W. McDonald, Au.D., F-AAA, Tracey Doria, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA, and Brianna Cumiskey, Au.D., CCC-A, F-AAA, evaluate hearing in the context of your family history so you can understand how genetics may affect your hearing health. When hearing loss is known in your family, prioritizing early testing and protective habits helps you preserve your hearing and address changes sooner.
Which Kinds of Hearing Loss Come From Your Genes?
Hearing loss that comes from your genes is caused by changes in genes that affect how the ear develops or functions, and most of it is sensorineural, involving 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.
What Is the Risk of Passing Hearing Loss to Your Children?
The risk of passing hearing loss to your children ranges from no risk to 50% or higher, depending on the inheritance pattern of the specific gene involved. Even parents with normal hearing can, in many cases, have a child with genetic hearing loss.
Four main inheritance patterns explain these odds:
- 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.
When Do Signs of Genetic Hearing Loss Usually Appear?
Signs of genetic hearing loss usually appear at one of three stages: 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.
Who Should Get a Hearing Test in Hurst, and How Often?
Anyone who notices changes in their hearing should get a hearing test right away, and people with a family history of hearing loss may benefit from baseline testing and regular evaluations 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. Our audiologists 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, they 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.
How Can a Family History of Hearing Loss Shape Your Prevention Plan?
A family history of hearing loss should shape your prevention plan around five habits: 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.
Visit North Hills Hearing & Balance Center in Hurst
If hearing loss runs in your family, a hearing evaluation with Rebecca McDonald, Au.D., Tracey Doria, Au.D., or Brianna Cumiskey, Au.D., is a good place to start. Your first appointment establishes a baseline and helps determine whether immediate treatment or additional monitoring is needed.
Call 817-835-8781 or contact North Hills Hearing & Balance Center to schedule an appointment at our office on Norwood Drive in Hurst.