Auditory measurements in parents of individuals with autosomal recessive hearing loss.

Background: Audiological evaluation of parents of individuals with autosomal recessive hearing loss.

Aim: To study the audiological profile of parents of individuals with autosomal recessive hearing loss, inferred by family history or by molecular tests that detected heterozygous mutations in the GJB2 gene. This gene codes Connexin 26.

Method: Participants were 36 subjects, ranging between 30 and 60 years, who were divided into two groups: a control group composed by individuals without auditory complaints and without family history of hearing loss, and a research group composed by heterozygous parents of individuals with autosomal recessive hearing loss or heterozygous for connexin 26 mutations. All subjects underwent pure tone audiometry (0.25 to 8 kHz), high frequencies audiometry (9 to 20 kHz) and distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE).

Results: There were significant differences between the groups when considering the amplitude of DPOAE in the frequencies of 1001 and 1501 Hz. Amplitude was higher in the control group. There was no significant difference between the groups for pure tone thresholds from 0.25 to 20 KHz.

Conclusion: The DPOAE were more effective, in comparison to the pure tone audiometry, to detect auditory differences between the groups. More studies of this type are necessary to confirm the observed results.