A cure that sickens

• April 19, 2024

Did you know that tuberculosis is one of the causes of deafness? Protecting the lungs affects the ear. In the fight against tuberculosis, an infection that attacks mainly these organs, the auditory sense is seriously affected.

Graciela Meza, researcher at the Institute of Cellular Physiology of the UNAM , ensures that patients with tuberculosis can be deaf due to inadequate treatment. Medical advances have shown that the effects of aminoglycosides, drugs with bactericidal action, are negative.

Several countries have restricted their medical use; however, "in Mexico they are prescribed although they are known to be toxic to the ear, some for the kidney and there are alternative treatments".

In her laboratory, Dr. Meza has identified the molecular mechanisms that damage the organ of hearing by streptomycin, an aminoglycoside that attacks the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

"The ear is hidden inside the temporal bone, one of the bones of the skull. Such conditions allow the passage of the aminoglycosides found in the blood to the ear, also favoring them to accumulate and take time to degrade. In fact, streptomycin stays in the ear all the time destroying cells continuously. "

The cells of the auditory system are scarce, approximately 20 thousand (in the brain there are billions of millions), which makes it difficult to replace those that die from an injury, he says.

"Streptomycin attacks cells of the vestibular system related to balance, posture and the ability to walk in the dark, therefore, people have dizziness, difficulty walking and blurred vision; and then enter the world of silence. "

There are patients who are deaf in a few days. It has been investigated and discovered that the origin is a mutation in the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of the mitochondria found inside the cell. Ear cells die because the antibiotic destroys their mitochondria. "

The mutation can be detected by a simple test that would help to know which is the most appropriate treatment for the patient, he points out.

The researcher warns that the treatment against tuberculosis based on aminoglycosides consists in applying a daily vial for six months or up to one year. "Because it is prolonged, it leads to the destruction of the ear".

Therefore, I propose to apply alternative treatments recommended worldwide, although they are more expensive than aminoglycosides, since the health of the ear is at stake, he concludes.

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