[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 10] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 13872] [From the U.S. 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 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. ____________________