Hearing aid support for patients with DR-TB in Ethiopia.

SETTING

Previous and current patients with drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) who had documented treatment-related hearing impairment due to second-line injectable (SLI) use were identified from different DR-TB treatment initiation centres in Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE

To assess selected patients with DR-TB for eligibility for hearing aids and provide hearing aids to 10 eligible patients.

DESIGN

This was an observational cohort study. Patients were followed up for 8 months, with hearing assessments conducted at 1, 3 and 8 months to objectively assess hearing capacity.

RESULTS

Of 12 patients assessed for hearing aids eligibility, 10 were fitted with hearing aids (type XTM XP P4) and followed up for 8 months. "Formal" improvement was observed only in one patient. However, "general quality of life" appeared to be improved in nine patients.

CONCLUSION

Minimal "formal" improvement was observed. However, the study was too small to say whether hearing aids should, or should not, be recommended as a public health measure. This needs a larger better controlled follow-up study. The all-oral DR-TB treatment regimens should be used for all patients with DR-TB in Ethiopia. However, as a proportion of patients with DR-TB are likely to continue receiving SLIs in the foreseeable future, they will require close audiometry assessment and appropriate care.