Genetic Basis of Hearing Loss in Mongolian Patients: A Next-Generation Sequencing Study.

Abstract

The genetic landscape of sensorineural hearing impairment (SNHI) varies across populations. In Mongolia, previous studies have shown a lower prevalence of GJB2 mutations and a higher frequency of variants in other deafness-related genes. This study aimed to investigate the genetic variants associated with idiopathic SNHI in Mongolian patients. We utilized the next-generation sequencing for investigating the causative mutations in 99 Mongolian patients with SNHI. We identified pathogenic variants in 53 of the 99 SNHI patients (54%), with SLC26A4 being the most frequently mutated gene. The c.919-2A>G variant in SLC26A4 was the most prevalent, accounting for 46.2% of the mutant alleles. In addition, we identified 19 other known and 21 novel mutations in a total of 21 SNHI genes in autosomal recessive or dominant inheritance patterns. Our findings expand the understanding of the genetic landscape of SNHI in Mongolia and highlight the importance of considering population-specific variations in genetic testing and counseling for SNHI.