[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 25, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1340-E1341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 25, 2008

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
National Institutes of Health, NIH, and call attention to one example 
of important NIH-supported research being conducted through the 
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 
NIDCD.
  Of the five standard senses--sight, hearing, taste, smell, and 
touch--hearing is the one that people are most likely to lose. 
Approximately 32 million American adults have some form of hearing 
loss, ranging from mild to profound. Loss of hearing can occur at any 
age. Between two to three out of every 1,000 infants in this country 
are born deaf or hard of hearing. This impairment can make it difficult

[[Page E1341]]

for a child to learn and adversely affect his or her social and 
emotional development. Older adults can experience social isolation and 
depression. Needed supportive care and services can be very costly. The 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that the average 
lifetime costs for one individual with hearing loss is $417,000. These 
costs include direct medical costs such as doctor visits, direct 
nonmedical expenses such as special education, and indirect costs such 
as lost wages when a person cannot work due to hearing loss.
  With NIH funding, scientists have made tremendous strides during the 
past decade in understanding the basic biology that underlies hearing 
loss. Research has already led to the development of the cochlear 
implant which helps people with certain types of hearing loss 
understand speech and other sounds. Researchers are also exploring the 
possibility of regenerating cochlear hair cells in humans; the 
destruction of these hair cells is the primary factor in most cases of 
hearing loss. Before, it was assumed that damaged cochlear hair cells 
could not regenerate in people and other mammals. However, in 2005, 
NIH-funded research has enabled scientists to identify a gene that may 
one day enable hair cells to regenerate in mammals.
  These findings indicate exciting new possibilities for hearing loss 
treatments by regenerating the hair cells that transform and send sound 
waves as electrical signals to the brain, thus making it possible to 
hear better. In addition, there are new technologies on the horizon for 
diagnosing hearing loss in infants, thus enabling hearing-impaired 
children to receive early intervention that can help them develop 
language skills similar to that of their peers. For example, scientists 
and clinicians working collaboratively at the Boys Town National 
Research Hospital with the support of NIDCD developed an approach for 
testing the hearing mechanism of infants in a matter of minutes in the 
first days of life. This technology is now in widespread use in many 
birthing hospitals in the U.S. as part of their universal newborn 
hearing screening programs.
  This is but a few examples of how the research funded with taxpayer 
dollars at the NIH is improving the health and well-being of all 
Americans.

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