Common Chemotherapy Drugs Seem to Increase Hearing Loss in Adults
One of the more significant side effects of chemo is neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy with loss of function and pain is well recognised and may be an inevitable consequence of chemotherapy as part of the initial treatment of ovarian cancer.
Less well recognised and often not considered is cranial neuropathy, where the cranial nerves are damaged. For the auditory nerve this damage presents as hearing loss and often tinnitus.
Data from a study looking at survivors of cancer who had chemo found that 70% had significant hearing loss, with hearing below the 50th percentile for any frequency. Similarly 40% reported tinnitus with ringing in the ears for longer than 10 minutes. Despite the high incidence of hearing loss only 17% of those affected had hearing aids.
It may well be that hearing loss is also an inevitable consequence of effective chemo. However, it can and should be managed by early diagnosis and appropriate assistance with hearing.
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