A new study from Oregon Health and Science University susses out the effect certain antibiotics have on hearing loss in patients with cystic fibrosis.
The study examined the medical records of 81 CF patients, aged 15 to 63 years, grouping them into four quartiles based on the cumulative dosage of aminoglycoside antibiotics administered intravenously. Researchers found that the two highest dosage groups were 4.79 times more likely to experience permanent hearing loss than the two quartiles with the lowest cumulative dosage exposure.
“This is an early step toward developing a model for predicting hearing loss in these patients,” said lead author Angela Garinis, PhD, a senior research associate in the Oregon Hearing Research Center at OHSU and research audiologist with the VA Portland Health Care System.
Aminoglycosides inhibit bacterial protein synthesis, and they are often necessary to clear life-threatening respiratory infections. However, these medications can degrade auditory function in the inner ear as well as kidney function.
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