In 2021, the World Health Organization found that over 5% of the world’s population suffers from hearing loss (HL), making it the most prevalent sensory disorder among humans. The age of HL onset ranges from congenital to late-onset. It has been estimated that 1 in 500 newborns are affected by congenital HL, of which 4 out of 5 prelingual HL cases were caused by a single gene. Alternatively, age-related HL has been estimated to impact up to 80% of individuals by the time they reach 80. Age-related HL is often caused by a combination of extrinsic damages such as cumulative noise exposure as well as a genetic predisposition.
When HL occurs with no associated symptoms or signs, it is known as non-syndromic hearing loss (NSHL). 70-80% of deafness caused by genetics is estimated to be NSHL. This type of HL can be further classified into four types based on the pattern of inheritance; autosomal recessive (DFNB), autosomal dominant (DFNA), X-linked (DFNX), or mitochondrial (this does not have a specific notation). Currently, more than 120 NSHL genes and over 400 syndromes related to HL have been discovered.
This article collection invites researchers to explore the genetic risk factors of NSHL and methods to identify these, how these factors interact with each other, and the environment, to increase this risk. We accept article types such as original research, reviews, systematic reviews, and perspectives. Submission topics should cover, but are not limited to, the following:
• Candidate gene, and genome-wide association studies to identify genes and loci variants associated with NSHL
• Gene-environment interactions related to NSHL
• New genetic diagnostic technologies to identify NSHL
Keywords: non-syndromic hearing loss, NSHL, genome-wide association studies, gene-environment interactions, genetic diagnostic technologies
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
