Ototoxicity

Ototoxicity is damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve caused by drugs, chemicals, or other toxic exposures. It can impair hearing, balance, or both.

Cochlea: The spiral-shaped inner-ear structure that converts sound vibrations into neural signals. Many ototoxic exposures damage its sensory cells, disrupting hearing.
Aminoglycoside: A class of antibiotics used to treat serious bacterial infections. Several aminoglycosides can injure cochlear or vestibular sensory cells.
Sensorineural hearing loss: Hearing impairment caused by dysfunction of the inner ear or auditory nerve. It is the main hearing-loss category into which many ototoxic effects fall.
Presbycusis: Age-related progressive hearing loss, usually involving high frequencies. It can resemble or compound the high-frequency loss caused by ototoxic exposure.
Pharmacogenomics: The study of how genetic variation affects responses to medications. Genetic variants may help explain why some patients develop drug-related hearing loss.
Vestibular system: The inner-ear organs and neural pathways that detect head movement and support balance. Toxic injury here can cause dizziness, imbalance, or unstable gaze.
Cisplatin: A platinum-based chemotherapy drug used to treat several cancers. Cisplatin can cause lasting, often high-frequency hearing loss.
Tinnitus: The perception of sound, such as ringing or buzzing, without an external source. It can accompany toxic injury even when measured hearing thresholds remain near normal.
Bilateral vestibulopathy: Reduced function of both vestibular systems, causing imbalance and blurred vision during head movement. Ototoxic antibiotics can damage both vestibular organs and produce this disability.
Otoprotection: Strategies intended to prevent or reduce damage to the inner ear. Protective treatments must limit ear injury without weakening a drug’s intended effect.

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