title: The future role of genetic screening to detect newborns at risk of childhood-onset hearing loss.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the future potential of genetic screening to detect newborns at risk of childhood-onset hearing loss.
  
  
  METHODS
  An expert led discussion of current and future developments in genetic technology and the knowledge base of genetic hearing loss to determine the viability of genetic screening and the implications for screening policy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite increasing pressure to adopt genetic technologies, a major barrier for genetic screening in hearing loss is the uncertain clinical significance of the identified mutations and their interactions. Only when a reliable estimate of the future risk of hearing loss can be made at a reasonable cost, will genetic screening become viable. Given the speed of technological advancement this may be within the next 10 years. Decision-makers should start to consider how genetic screening could augment current screening programmes as well as the associated data processing and storage requirements.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the interim, we suggest that decision makers consider the benefits of (1) genetically testing all newborns and children with hearing loss, to determine aetiology and to increase knowledge of the genetic causes of hearing loss, and (2) consider screening pregnant women for the m.1555A> G mutation to reduce the risk of aminoglycoside antibiotic-associated hearing loss.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Horizon Scanning Centre, School of Health and Population Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. l.p.linden@bham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Luan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Linden Phillips
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bitner-Glindzicz
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lench
authors.forename: Karen P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Steel
authors.forename: Cordelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langford
authors.forename: Sally J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Packer
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005820:Genetic Testing; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D040941:Heredity; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D051188:Knowledge Bases; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods*; D010375:Pedigree; D010641:Phenotype; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors