Hearing loss and Rhesus blood groups

Rhesus Blood Group and Hearing Loss

A study at the Hamad General Hospital in the State of Qatar on hearing loss in children (1) found a significant correlation between hearing loss (HL) and Rhesus blood groups. The study was intended to look at consanguinity (where the child's parents are related by blood or descended from a common ancestor) and other parental factors, and consanguinity was also found to have an association with HL, as well as high blood pressure in the father and illiteracy or family history of HL of either parent.

The finding in this study that if the mother's Rhesus blood group was Rh positive the child had a higher risk of HL is not the first connection to be found between blood groups and HL, as a previous study found blood group O to be at highest risk of noise-induced HL.

Further research combining the effects of these two common blood group factors could be useful in screening for and preventing HL in individuals at higher risk.

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