A twin-study of genetic contributions to hearing acuity in late middle age.
A twin-study of genetic contributions to hearing acuity in late middle age.
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DOI：
10.1093/gerona/62.11.1294
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发表时间：
2007-11
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
A. Wingfield;M. Panizzon;M. Grant;R. Toomey;W. Kremen;C. Franz;K. Jacobson;S. Eisen;M. Lyons
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
A. Wingfield;M. Panizzon;M. Grant;R. Toomey;W. Kremen;C. Franz;K. Jacobson;S. Eisen;M. Lyons
背景听力敏锐度的下降，特别是在高频范围内，经常出现在中年。这项研究的目的是表征遗传和环境的影响，可能是这种模式的基础。方法从越南时代双胞胎登记处挑选年龄在52 ~ 60岁之间的179对同卵双胞胎和150对异卵双胞胎，分别在500 ~ 880hz频率范围内进行听力灵敏度测试。生物计量模型用于量化遗传和环境影响。结果：对于耳朵较好的个体，在中频和高频范围内，大约三分之二（65%-70%，95%置信区间[CI]， 46%-75%）的听力灵敏度差异可以由遗传因素解释。对于个体较差的耳朵，这将显示出较低的遗传力，大约一半（41%-54%,95% CI, 11%-67%）的中高频范围的方差可以由遗传影响来解释。在给定的频率范围内，同样的遗传因素会影响好耳朵和差耳朵。相比之下，虽然在一个给定的耳朵中，对中频和高频的遗传影响有一些重叠，但也有一些特定于每个频率的遗传影响。结论：遗传效应在中老年听力损失水平中起重要作用。这些数据对于识别可能特别容易受到环境风险因素（如噪音暴露和具有耳毒性的药物）影响的人具有重要意义。
BACKGROUND Declines in hearing acuity, especially in the high frequency range, often appear in middle age. The objective of this study was to characterize genetic and environmental influences that may underlie this pattern. METHODS One hundred seventy-nine monozygotic and 150 dizygotic twin pairs, ranging in age from 52 to 60 years, were selected from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry and individually tested for hearing acuity in the frequency range from 500 to 8000 Hz. Biometrical modeling was used to quantify genetic and environmental influences. RESULTS For individuals' better ears, approximately two-thirds (65%-70%, 95% confidence interval [CI], 46%-75%) of the variance in hearing acuity in the middle and high frequency ranges could be accounted for by genetic factors. For the individuals' poorer ear, which would be expected to show lower heritability, approximately one-half (41%-54%, 95% CI, 11%-67%) of the variance in the middle and high frequency ranges could be accounted for by genetic influences. Within a given frequency range, the same genetic factors influenced both the better and poorer ears. In contrast, although there was some overlap of genetic influences on the middle and high frequencies within a given ear, there were also some genetic influences that were specific to each frequency. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that genetic effects play an important role in the level of hearing loss that often appears in late middle age. These data have important implications for identifying persons who may be especially vulnerable to environmental risk factors such as noise exposure and medications with ototoxic properties.