The field of generic hearing impairment is one where advances take place, and it can be difficult for Audiologists to keep track of the broader picture. This book presents a synoptic approach and summarizes the causes and basis of hearing impairments, the impact on the individual and the therapies available, and the benefits of developments.

The aim of this book is to provide a description of what is currently known about the genetics of deafness for audiologists, otologists and general genetics. It includes a number of background chapters introducing relevant genetics for audiologists and otologists and relevant aspects of auditory intervention for geneticists. These cover the epidemiology of hearing loss and the current situation with regard to gene identification within the field.

This is the first comprehensive textbook for trainees in audiological medicine, a growing subdiscipline specializing in the diagnosis and medical treatment of hearing disorders.

This book brings together many of the main conclusions of the European Concerted Action Programme on Genetic Hearing Impairment (HEAR). It is spilt into four sections, covering definitions, protocols, genotype/phenotype relationships and important websites.The section on definitions enables all those approaching the problems of Genetic Hearing Impairment from different backgrounds to communicate in the same language and understand what each is doing more clearly. The definitions are of Audiological, Vestibulogical, Epidemiological and Genetic terms, together with specific terms associated...