New Testing Kit Developed to Prevent Deafness in Babies
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A new testing kit that can help prevent babies from suffering permanent hearing damage will be deployed in hospitals across the UK. The testing kits can help tell if babies are genetically predisposed to react negatively to gentamicin, a commonly used antibiotic. The potentially life saving drug, is generally the preferred treatment for babies with bacterial infections.
In some cases, however, a rare side effect can lead to permanent damage to the hairs within their ears. These hairs are the part of the ear that actually detects the vibrations of the air and converts them to electric pulses that the brain can interpret. It is also vital that treatment is provided as quickly as possible to the babies, which means it is impossible to send off DNA samples to a lab.
The test kits will allow doctors to conduct the test on location in under 26 minutes. These tests look at the DNA of the baby and can tell which babies are susceptible to having their hearing damaged. If they are susceptible, a different treatment option can be suggested. These tests have been trialled in intensive care units in Manchester and Liverpool to great effect.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the UK government department in charge of deciding which treatments are used, has provisionally approved them for use across England and Wales, though their standards are often adopted more widely.
The tests will also save money as treating hearing loss can often amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. This money can then be spent elsewhere in the UK’s National Health Service.
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