Hearing loss can be hereditary

When Hearing Loss Runs in the Family

Hearing implants can help people with severe hearing loss and significantly improve their quality of life. On the other hand, delaying treatment when symptoms appear can be harmful—especially if hearing loss runs in the family.

When Christiane Olk first began researching cochlear implants, she was looking for an alternative treatment for her mother, Waltraud Pelzer, who had severe hearing loss. What Christiane didn’t realize at first was that hearing loss runs in her family. Her grandfather had already suffered from hearing loss—and his two daughters also struggled with severe hearing problems from an early age. And Christiane, too, began to show the first symptoms.

Not being able to hear makes you feel lonely

Waltraud Pelzer, Christiane’s mother, wasn’t fitted with hearing aids until she was 60. “By that point, however, my hearing loss had already progressed so far that conventional hearing aids were no longer enough for me,” says Waltraud. Daily life became increasingly difficult for the cheerful senior—whether in her job as a sales specialist at the family butcher shop, which she had to give up due to her hearing loss, or in everyday situations, such as at the doctor’s office and during church services. “Conversations were very difficult and often full of misunderstandings, which was always very embarrassing for me. Up until that point, I had always been around people, but I realized that I was withdrawing more and more,” Waltraud says, describing the massive impact of her hearing loss. She needed support.

Deciding on a Cochlear Implant (CI)

Which hearing solution is the right one? This is an important decision that patients make together with an ENT specialist and hearing implant experts. “A cochlear implant enables people to hear again and understand speech despite severe hearing loss or deafness in one ear. That’s wonderful,” explains CI expert Dr. Jérôme Servais, chief ENT physician and director of the Ear Clinic at Heilig-Geist Hospital in Bensheim. A visit to the University Medical Center Mainz revealed that Waltraud was a suitable candidate for a CI. The grandmother of three grandchildren first received an implant in her right ear, and three years later in her left ear—with great success.

Achieving Hearing Success with CIs Through Hearing Training

A few weeks after the implantation surgery, the big moment arrives: the first activation of the CI, the first time hearing exclusively through the technology in the inner ear. A lot happens, especially in the first few days: “On the very first day after my audio processor was activated, I heard the birds chirping in the park. I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t understand speech yet at that point, but that improved through rehab and then even more after I received my second ear implant,” Waltraud explains.

Ideally, activation takes place during rehabilitation alongside appropriate hearing training. Basic hearing ability begins to develop within just one week of rehabilitation. It’s best to follow a rehabilitation stay with a longer period of intensive hearing training to train the brain and, consequently, the sense of hearing.

“Thanks to my CIs, I can participate in social life again, attend church services and concerts, and understand speech and music well,” says Waltraud about the improvements she’s experienced thanks to her cochlear implants. “Everyday activities like talking on the phone, having doctor’s appointments on my own, and taking the bus and train without help—I can do all of that again today, and it has given me newfound self-confidence.”

CIs for Her Daughter, Too

Despite her mother’s ultimately successful journey with hearing loss, her daughter Christiane long pushed her own hearing loss to the side: “On the one hand, I naturally noticed that something wasn’t right. Looking back, my first hearing problems actually began during my college years. Later on, I’d get tired quickly during conversations and often had to ask people to repeat themselves more often than others. But I didn’t want to deal with the issue,” admits the mother of three. Instead, she deliberately avoided certain situations and applied for jobs that involved as little interaction with the public as possible. Eventually, Christiane’s hearing loss worsened significantly, and she finally decided to see an ENT specialist for a hearing test. The result: Christiane was, in fact, already severely hard of hearing.

At age 42, Christiane finally got hearing aids. Nevertheless, her professional life became increasingly taxing for the legal specialist. Phone calls, in particular, were extremely challenging. The constant effort of listening, as well as the constant fear of misunderstandings with far-reaching consequences, weighed heavily on Christiane. And in her everyday life as a mother, too, there were repeated difficult situations: “For example, I couldn’t always hear when our youngest daughter was crying in her crib as a baby. I often felt like I wasn’t doing enough as a mother.”

By the time she was 50, Christiane’s hearing loss had become so severe that she underwent a cochlear implant procedure at the German Hearing Center in Hanover. First, her right ear was fitted; three years later, her left. Many things that were previously impossible are now completely second nature to Christiane again: going to parent-teacher conferences or a café on her own, listening to the radio and podcasts, enjoying lectures, movies, and concerts, talking on the phone, making video calls, or having a conversation in crowded and noisy restaurants. “Today I work full-time as a certified judicial officer at the district court. I also feel much more comfortable around people again.” In addition, Christina volunteers as a hearing mentor and supports people on their journey toward getting a cochlear implant.

For her children, too, the successful treatment of her hearing loss has been a relief. They know that, in the event of inherited hearing loss, good treatment options are available to them—even if hearing aids are no longer sufficient. The family now talks openly about hearing loss. It wasn’t until Christiane received her own cochlear implant that she was able to broach the subject of possible hereditary hearing loss.

With the right care, hearing loss doesn't have to be an obstacle: Despite her hearing loss, Jana Verheyen has also made a great start in her career. Thanks to her cochlear implants, she is a successful audio coach and now helps others on their journey to regaining their hearing with cochlear implants.