Ototoxicity: A review of South African studies

Ototoxicity is damage to cells in the inner ear after administering a toxic drug, with a resultant hearing loss. Drugs used to treat illnesses such as cancer, tuberculosis, human immuno-deficiency virus (HIV) and infections are potentially ototoxic. South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV and tuberculosis, and thus a potentially greater degree of the population is being affected by hearing loss from the medications used to treat these illnesses.

To determine the current status of research in ototoxicity, a systematic literature review was carried out to determine the focus areas of South African studies for the period 1989-2019. From the database search engines used (Science Direct, Ebscohost and Proquest), a total of 33 relevant articles were identified, including the themes of pharmacology, audiology and knowledge.

Studies were conducted in the three most resourced provinces in South Africa. Findings indicate that there is a need for educating doctors regarding ototoxicity and a delineation of the role of the audiologist in monitoring and management of ototoxic hearing loss. There is a resultant need for audiology training on the pharmacology of ototoxic medication, otoprotective strategies and adherence to recommended guidelines. This has implications for university audiology training programmes and curriculum planning. The need for development of South Africa-specific audiology guidelines was highlighted.

Whilst it is noted that there is a lack of resources for effective implementation of ototoxicity-monitoring protocols, it is also noted that there are measures and otoprotective strategies that can be put in place without additional resources.