The Effects of Genetic Hearing Impairment in the Family

There has been an explosion of studies in the field of genetichearing impairment in the past decade, associated with majoradvances in our understanding of the mechanisms and conditionsinvolved. However, a recent review has highlighted the very limitednumber of studies on the effects of such hearing impairment on theindividuals and families of those concerned. In The Effects of Genetic Hearing Impairment in theFamily, under the aegis of the European Union GENDEAFprogramme, the editors have taken the first steps to address thisdeficit in our knowledge and understanding of this topic. The bookaddresses the problem by secondary analyses of existing large scalepopulation studies, by prospective investigation of individualswith a family history of hearing impairment and by specific studieson patients with otosclerosis and neurofibromatosis 2 and theirfamilies.In addition several chapters look at the specific impact of deafculture, ethnicity and religion on reactions to deafness and thespecific needs in genetic counselling.This book represents an important first step in this field andshould be an invaluable resource for all professionals involvedwith people with hearing impairments.