Deaf Genes?

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Wheelbarrow.

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Hello, my name is Wheelbarrow (my online name) and I am profoundly deaf who use Australian Sign Language and I have cochlear implant on my left ear. I had just recieved the first cochlear implant last year after growing up with two hearing aides and is benefiting from both worlds (deaf world and hearing world) by using sign language to communicate the deaf and an ability to speak to communicate the hearies.

Anyway, basically, this is not the point of this new thread. Since few days ago, when I first had a chat with my ToD (Teacher of the Deaf) about deaf genes. It came to a point when I wondered if my deafness come from a gene? I thought I'd post it here for the experts or people like you to figure the basics out for me?

I have a deaf grandparents, a hearing impaired mother, two deaf aunt, many hearing impaired uncles. All types of deafness and hearing impairment comes from both sides of my family (mothers and fathers side).

I was born hearing (10 out of 10 on AT Newborn Test) with two hearing sisters. Everything was going well when I was baby. My mother knew the importance of learning sign language regardless if the baby was hearing or deaf - to benefit the language development and acquisition. So here you go, as a hearing baby, I learnt Australian Sign Language and was enrolled to bilingual preschool with hearing and deaf students (mainstreamed) with deaf and hearing specalists "treating" me like a deaf baby because my mother wanted me to have EVERY opportunities I can have regardless if I am not deaf.

Around 12 months later, when I was about to turn one year old, after few hearing tests - on my third (or forth) hearing test which it was failed. So which means I was diagnosed with profound hearing impairment just before my first birthday. My mother didn't seem to be shocked, but was extremely relieved by the fact I already had a strong language, so therefore no language delay incurred.

Even though I was diagnosed deaf, I still attend the bilingual preschool without any additional specalist support or early intervention supports. I was still raised normally after when my hearing impairment was diagnosed.

My mother use Australian Sign Language, and is Level 3 Interpreter - and she is moderately hearing impaired and I have a deaf grandparents. Both are severely deaf and actively involved in deaf communities using sign language.

My grandpa himself experienced the same process I had when I was baby. He was born hearing until suffered some sort of illness that it took away all of his hearing when he was really young. My mother was also born hearing, but lost just around 30% of her hearing when she was younger as well, luckily she didn't lose all of her hearing.

My father side family have so many hearing impaired family relatives, most of them was born hearing and lost their hearing when they was baby.

After a deep conversation with my mother, she said she thinks that I lost my hearing due to a vaccination when I was baby. If it is so, then how did all of others lose their hearing?

I had a feeling that it *possibly* is linked to illness genes. An illness gene that "made sure" almost all of the babies lose their hearing before they reach the age of 4.

Even though there are number of hearing impairied (and few deaf) family relatives in my family, there are still a lot of hearing family relatives. My father and my two sisters are hearing.

From what I notice, MOST family members in my mum's side is classified as profound/severe deaf (with one/two hearing impaired) and MOST family members in my dad's side is classified as moderately hearing impaired.

It just can't be a coincidence, you know? All of us are linked together somehow.

I was hoping if any of you know the answer before I consider to pay a visit to the genes specalist to find the true answer.

Thank you
Wheelbarrow

PS Oh just realised, NONE of us was born deaf.
 
Genetic progressive SNHL. My husband's family has this. It's a dominant gene.

It seems like this may be the case in your family.
 
Hello Wheelbarrow!

Yes, in all probability your family has a genetic propensity for hearing loss. It would be statistically crazy (technical term :-P) to have that many Deaf/Hard of Hearing family members by coincidence. Also, hearing loss isn't generally associated vaccines. (There is evidence in the literature regarding live measles vaccine, which is rare now, and only anecdotal eveidence associcated with Hep B vaccine) This can be confusing because there are many websites incorrectly that say vaccines cause a number of health issues that research says they don't.

"Genetic progressive SNHL" does sound likely, thought I'm not a clinician, so I don't know all of the diagnostic possibilities.

Have a great day!

I am a molecular biologist with a background in genetics and statistics. (Also HOH)
 
Oh gosh, I really cant stand the terms, " hearing impaired ". Please use term Deaf.
 
I seem to have a gene that I inherited from my mom which causes hearing loss during/after pregnancy/childbirth. It's a slow progressive SNHL. I've warned my daughters. My oldest daughter is expecting her first child later this year. She plans to have a pre-delivery hearing test and then another hearing test w/in a year of giving birth. My hearing loss was detected about 7 months after I gave birth to my first child. Just happen to be due for a physical at work, otherwise I would not have known...until it progressed enough for me to notice it. My mother did not notice her hearing loss till years after giving birth to her first child.
 
Bottesini, hmm, sounds interesting. Will have it googled soon to see if it is possible.

Jennifer, I agree but is it even possible to have an "illness gene" where 40% of the babies born from our family born hearing then gradually lose almost all of their hearing before they turn four years old? I've been talking to my teacher for the deaf today and I think that a baby is born hearing, yes, but also contained a bacteria or infection or an illness that was stored in the baby body until it is the time for them to attack the ear then the baby will lose almost all of the hearing.

Kalista, do you have a problem? I am identified deaf person but I don't seem to see the term 'hearing impaired' so problematic. I always tell the hearing people out in the real world that I am hearing impaired so I would recieve better attitude from them. I've noticed a HUGE differences between hearing's attitude when I use deaf or hearing impaired. If I say I am deaf, they would go "oh, you can just go" or whatever like that, you know? If I say I am hearing impaired, they WILL try and communicate with you. I have a cochlear implant though.

Loveblue, maybe it sounds right but NONE of us were born deaf. All of us were born hearing then around 40% of us lost almost all of our hearing before we turn 4. I lost mines when I was 1, my grandpa lost his due to an illness when he was 4. My mother said I suffered an infectious illness when I was baby, but she is not sure if it is linked to my hearing impairment. The illness I had when I was baby was similar to the illness that my grandpa suffered that it costed his hearing.

Safari, ah now it sound like an "illness gene", is it? :)

Thanks for all of your replies. :)
 
it seems to me that there are lots of deaf gene runs in your family. so are you concerned about your future?

You mean if you tell them that you are impaired hearing then they can speak to you, and if you say deaf then they would walk out on you?

I have no problem telling people that i am Deaf. maybe it has to do something with your attitude that relates with your voice. It does not matter since you are comfortable with both of them along fine. :)
 
I wasn't suggesting we had the same gene. My mother & I were hearing until we had our first child then our hearing started to decline slowly.
 
Wheelbarrow. said:
Jennifer, I agree but is it even possible to have an "illness gene" where 40% of the babies born from our family born hearing then gradually lose almost all of their hearing before they turn four years old? I've been talking to my teacher for the deaf today and I think that a baby is born hearing, yes, but also contained a bacteria or infection or an illness that was stored in the baby body until it is the time for them to attack the ear then the baby will lose almost all of the hearing.
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Hi Wheelbarrow! I would say it is most likely that your family has a genetic degenerative (I don't really like that term, but it is the descriptive one) hearing loss of some type. This would mean that babies are born hearing, but the regular maintenance that the body does to some part of the hearing pathway doesn't work well, and over time that part becomes less and less effective until it doesn't really work.

Babies aren't usually born with latent infections, but it is possible that your family has a genetic susceptibility (can't fight off) to a particular pathogen. I think this is less likely as the kids in your family don't go deaf after getting sick (though some pathogens can invade without causing noticeable symptoms).
 
Is it possible that the family has a hereditary gene that predisposed them to lose their hearing as a rare side effect to a vaccination? Basically, a specific combination of genetics and vaccination.
 
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