Such is the case with this new information from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

An international team of researchers has found a gene linked with a rare form of progressive deafness in males. The particular form of deafness is known as DFN2, which manifests itself in boys from ages 5-15. Throughout their lives, they will experience hearing loss that can range all the way to profound. Mothers, who carry the defective gene, may experience mild hearing loss much later in life.

The ability to analyze this gene yields exciting benefits, and not only for boys with hearing loss, it is also a step forward in the fight against all hearing loss–audiologists hope to learn more about the exact mechanisms of acquired hearing loss and how to treat it.

Acquired hearing loss is an unfortunate side effect to many powerful drugs: chemotherapy, HIV and AIDS medication all carry this as a potential collateral malady. With this research, an important step was taken in not only diagnosing and treating hearing loss, but also preventing it.