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BACKGROUND:

We report on the higher prevalence of deaf-mutes from a village in Jammu and Kashmir State of India.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

A cross-sectional study among 79 deaf mutes using pedigree analysis, audiometry, imaging and molecular analysis.

RESULTS:

A high rate of hereditary deafness with 79 individuals diagnosed to be suffering from non-syndrome deafness in a total population of 2452 individuals residing in the village.

INTERPRETATION:

Flourishing of intermarriages led to a population with high prevalence of deafness

Keywords: Dadhkai, deafness, inbreeding

Introduction

Epidemiological surveys of the deaf have consistently shown that about 50% of childhood deafness can be attributed to genetic causes, but all of the surveys have pointed out that the cause cannot be determined in a considerable proportion of individuals.[1] Recent molecular work has demonstrated that in this group of …