The role of assorted deafness marriages in the prevalence of hereditary hearing loss
https://doi.org/10.25789/YMJ.2022.80.25
Abstract
The article presents an overview of the role of assorted deafness marriages in the spread of hereditary hearing loss. In 1883, Alexander Graham Bell, the famous inventor of the telephone, first suggested that frequent marriages between deaf people could lead to an increase in the incidence of deafness, but this hypothesis was not recognized by his contemporaries. In the 2000s, with the development of molecular genetic studies, which made it possible to identify one of the most common forms of hearing loss due to gene mutations GJB2, connexin 26, which encodes the interstitial contact protein, has been reinterpreted by Walter Nance. In the series of studies, he and his coauthors were able to show that the reproductive capabilities of the deaf have increased, and marriages between the deaf occur not by chance, but by the principle of assortativity, which in total could lead to an increase in the prevalence of one of the most frequent "connexin" forms of hearing loss.
About the Authors
G. P. Romanov
Yakut Science Centre of Complex Medical Problems
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Romanov Georgy Prokopievich – researcher
N. A. Barashkov
Yakut Science Centre of Complex Medical Problems
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Barashkov Nikolay Alekseevich – PhD in Biology, external researcher, head of the lab.
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Review
For citations:
Romanov G.P., Barashkov N.A. The role of assorted deafness marriages in the prevalence of hereditary hearing loss. Yakut Medical Journal. 2022;(4):96-100. https://doi.org/10.25789/YMJ.2022.80.25
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