Clinical Characterization of Patients with Postlingual Non-syndromic Hearing Loss in Cali, Colombia: The Significance of Genetic Diagnosis

Background: Hearing loss is the most common sensory deficit in humans and can reach a prevalence of up to 10%. Objective: The objective of the study was to clinically characterize patients with postlingual nonsyndromic hearing loss in Cali, Colombia. Materials and Methods: A retrospective and prospective observational study was conducted. All patients diagnosed with postlingual nonsyndromic hearing loss treated at the (Anonymous) hospital between November 2023 and July 2024 were included. The clinical histories and laboratory records of the included patients were reviewed, collecting demographic and clinical information. A geneticist evaluated each patient to ensure they were nonsyndromic cases and created heredograms, carefully recording the presence of hearing loss in at least three generations. Results: Twenty individuals with postlingual nonsyndromic hearing loss were included, with a mean age of 36.8 ± 12.8 years. Severe sensorineural hearing loss was the most prevalent (43.8%). Eighty percent of the included patients had a positive family history of hearing loss. In 68.8% of cases, the closest relative with hearing loss was a first-degree relative. Furthermore, in 85% of cases, the heredogram was suggestive of some inheritance pattern, showing a probable autosomal inheritance pattern in 64.7% of cases and an autosomal dominant in 23.5%. In the remaining 11.8% of cases, characteristics of both mitochondrial and autosomal inheritance were reported. Conclusion: Eighty percent of the patients evaluated reported a positive family history of hearing loss, highlighting the importance of genetic testing. No significant differences were found in prevalence by sex.