Sensorineural hearing loss in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: Case studies

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the primary infectious diseases in the world and is accountable for more than two million deaths and nine million new cases every year. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis that is resistant to two or more of the primary drugs (e.g. isoniazid and rifampin) used for the management of tuberculosis. The aminoglycoside group is the major drug group which is used in the treatment of patients with TB and can lead to hearing loss as they are ototoxic in nature. Here, we describe three patients with MDR-TB who were under medication for the same, i.e. aminoglycoside drug group along with few more antibacterial agents and anti-tuberculosis agents. The results of audiological evaluation suggested that all the patients considered for the study had the bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, where 2, 4 and 8 kHz were more affected compared to 250, 500 and 1 kHz. Other symptoms reported were tinnitus, episodic vertigo, decreased vision, general body ache, reduced appetite and insomnia