EC Microbiology

Research Article Volume 22 Issue 7 - 2028

Incidence and Factors Associated with Deafness among Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study from Pakistan

Ashraf Ullah Stanikzai*

University of Moraa, Kabul, Afghanistan

*Corresponding Author:Ashraf Ullah Stanikzai, University of Moraa, Kabul, Afghanistan.
Received: June 08, 2026; Published: July 14, 2026



Injectable second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs (SLDs), used in conventional treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), can cause ototoxicity leading to permanent hearing loss. This retrospective cohort study determined the incidence and factors associated with deafness among DR-TB patients treated at the Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (PMDT) unit of Fatima Jinnah General and Chest Hospital, Quetta, Pakistan. Data were extracted from the Electronic Nominal Record System (ENRS), medical charts, and laboratory files. Ototoxicity was defined as drug-induced vestibular and/or auditory dysfunction. Multivariate binary logistic regression (MVBLR) was used to identify factors associated with complete deafness. A total of 243 DR-TB patients were included. Mean age was 36.29 ± 16.85 years. Most participants were female (59.7%), had MDR-TB (95.1%), and lived in rural areas (66.7%). Patients were resistant to a median of 4 (2-7) drugs. A total of 222 (91.4%) patients received Amikacin followed by Capreomycin (6.2%) and Kanamycin (2.5%). A total of 232 (95.5%) study participants developed ototoxicity. Among them 80 (32.9%) patients suffered from moderate ototoxicity followed by 56 (23%) mild and 44 (18.1%) severe ototoxicity; among them 51 (21%) patients suffered from profound ototoxicity or complete deafness. In MVBLR, history of MDR-TB treatment emerged as the only risk factor for complete deafness. The incidence of aminoglycoside-induced ototoxicity among DR-TB patients was alarmingly high. Routine audiological monitoring and early intervention are essential to prevent irreversible hearing loss.

Keywords: Pharmacovigilance; Adverse Effects; Quetta; Ototoxicity

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Ashraf Ullah Stanikzai. “Incidence and Factors Associated with Deafness among Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients: A Retro- spective Cohort Study from Pakistan”. EC Microbiology 22.7 (2026): 01-13.

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