Pharmacogenetic screening of A1555G and C1494T mitochondrial mutations and the use of ototoxic drugs among Jordanians.

OBJECTIVE

Hearing loss may impact an individual's psychosocial behaviors and lead to cognitive decline. The goals of this study were to describe the frequency of nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) among Jordanian patients with regular exposure to ototoxic drugs, perform screening for A1555G and C1494T mitochondrial mutations (12S rRNA gene) and identify predictors of hearing loss.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in which medical records were reviewed to record the pattern of ototoxic drug use among participants. The pure tone audiometry (PTA) test was used to assess hearing performance. Direct sequencing was performed following PCR amplification to screen for mitochondrial mutations of interest.

RESULTS

One hundred sixty-two patients reported regular use of ototoxic drug(s); sixty-five percent of them suffered from NSHL, mostly of mild-moderate severity. No A1555G or C1494T mutation was detected in any participant. Aspirin (82%) was the most commonly used ototoxic drug, followed by loop diuretics (77%) and aminoglycosides (57%). Advanced age, more comorbidities and more ototoxic drugs taken increased the likelihood of hearing loss (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Hearing loss is prevalent among Jordanian patients treated with ototoxic drugs. Early intervention and management services for this population remain critical needs.