Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Age-Related Hearing Loss: Results from a Longitudinal Twin Study.
Ryan M O'Leary, Arthur Wingfield, Michael J Lyons and 2 others
PMID 40267268WHAT IT FOUND
Genetics explain about half the differences in hearing ability in men aged 56 to 68, but personal life factors explain most of the change over time.
Shared environment plays a minimal role. This highlights the need for individualized monitoring rather than assuming family history dictates progression.
Key findings
01Additive genetic factors accounted for 49.44% to 67.71% of the variance in hearing thresholds across frequencies and time points.
02Unique, person-specific environmental factors accounted for 59.60% of the variance in the degree of change in hearing acuity over time.
03Shared environmental factors contributed minimally, with estimates ranging from 1.78% to 12.22% of the variance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample was exclusively male, limiting generalizability to women who may have different rates of hearing loss at specific frequencies. Participants were largely white and non-Hispanic, which may affect applicability to diverse populations. Selective attrition is possible, as men with greater hearing difficulties might have dropped out due to the length of cognitive testing sessions. The study only measured pure-tone audiometry, excluding other auditory functions like speech-in-noise perception or otoacoustic emissions.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that a strong family history of hearing loss dictates a patient's rate of decline. The study found that unique environmental factors, not genetics, explained the majority of the variance in the degree of change over time.