title: Familial aggregation of pure tone hearing thresholds in an aging European population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the familial correlations and intraclass correlation of age-related hearing impairment (ARHI) in specific frequencies. In addition, heritability estimates were calculated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multicenter survey in 8 European centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred ninety-eight families consisting of 952 family members, screened by otologic examination and structured interviews. Subjects with general conditions, known to affect hearing thresholds or known otologic cause were excluded from the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We detected familial correlation coefficients of 0.36, 0.37, 0.36, and 0.30 for 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz, respectively, and correlation coefficients of 0.20 and 0.18 for 4 and 8 kHz, respectively. Variance components analyses showed that the proportion of the total variance attributable to family differences was between 0.32 and 0.40 for 0.25, 0.5, 1, and 2 kHz and below 0.20 for 4 and 8 kHz. When testing for homogeneity between sib pair types, we observed a larger familial correlation between female than male subjects. Heritability estimates ranged between 0.79 and 0.36 across the frequencies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that there is a substantial shared familial effect in ARHI. We found that familial aggregation of ARHI is markedly higher in the low frequencies and that there is a trend toward higher familial aggregation in female compared with male subjects.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Antwerp University Hospital, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium. j.j.hendrickx@planet.nl
authors.forename: Jan-Jaap
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hendrickx
authors.forename: Jeroen R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Huyghe
authors.forename: Vedat
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Topsakal
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Demeester
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Wienker
authors.forename: Lut Van
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Laer
authors.forename: Els Van
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Eyken
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fransen
authors.forename: Elina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mäki-Torkko
authors.forename: Samuli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hannula
authors.forename: Agnete
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parving
authors.forename: Mona
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tropitzsch
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonaconsa
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazzoli
authors.forename: Angeles
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Espeso
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Verbruggen
authors.forename: Joke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huyghe
authors.forename: Patrick L M
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Huygen
authors.forename: Hannie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kremer
authors.forename: Sylvia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kunst
authors.forename: Amalia N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Diaz-Lacava
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Ilmari
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pyykkö
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dhooge
authors.forename: Dafydd
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orzan
authors.forename: Markus H F
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pfister
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bille
authors.forename: Martti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sorri
authors.forename: Cor W R J
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Cremers
authors.forename: Guy Van
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Camp
authors.forename: Paul Van
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: de Heyning
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology*; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged