Gene Therapy for Congenital Sensorineural Hearing Loss: A Future Perspective in Iraq

Disabled congenital sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) has major drawbacks to the affected individuals such as delay in speech, cognition, language development, and learning. As a consequence, the affected persons have difficulty in finding appropriate jobs and performing and maintaining their jobs. Additionally, hearing impairment is considered a stigma. Furthermore, they live in isolation, depression, and poor quality of life. Hearing loss is a common sensory deficit with an approximate incidence of 1 to 3 of every 1000 newborns across the globe with up to 60% of cases being due to genetic factors [1]. A previous systematic review (2020) of the genetic epidemiology of hearing impairment in 22 Arab countries found that the incidence of hereditary hearing loss ranged from 1.2-18 per 1000 birth per year and Iraq carries the highest prevalence (76.3%) [2]. Early detection is an essential aspect in the management of hearing loss in general and congenital one in particular. This step depends on the awareness of the parents about their babies’ hearing status. However, it doesn’t identify all cases because it depends on the parent's level of education. Therefore, a universal hearing screening program through otoacoustic emissions and auditory brainstem response tests is necessary to diagnose hearing loss in newborns. This program has two major drawbacks; First, it cannot diagnose mild or delayed onset hearing impairment in neonates. Second, it is unable to find the reason for the hearing loss. Nowadays, genetic testing, a universal hearing screening program, and tests for cytomegalovirus are recommended tools for the diagnosis of hearing loss in newborns. [3-5].