When it comes to gentamicin, everyone must be familiar with it.
For example, the treatment of pneumonia, gastroenteritis and upper respiratory tract infections may have its shadow.
But it is such a widely used drug, but behind it is a huge crisis - there are more serious ototoxicity (toxic symptoms are vertigo, tinnitus, deafness, etc.) and nephrotoxicity (manifested as kidney damage or acute kidney failure, severe death due to uremia).
Some people may say: I was sick when I was a child and used gentamicin many times, how can I be okay? Who are you scaring?
That's not an exaggeration.
About 30,000 children in mainland China are caused by toxic deafness due to improper use of drugs each year, of which more than 95% are caused by aminoglycosides, gentamicin is one of them.
Gentamicin side effects are largely genetically related, and survey data shows:
For every 100 Chinese, about 4 to 5 people carry the deafness gene.
The probability of side effects of gentamicin may be a few in a thousand, but it is greatly improved in children with deaf gene defects.
When the child has diarrhea or fever or pneumonia, drugs with the same effect but much less risk can be chosen, and gentamicin with ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity should be used with caution.
March 3 is "Ear Love Day", and I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of genetic screening for deafness.
At present, the popularity of deaf gene screening in China is limited, and the public awareness is very low.
But its significance is far-reaching, and parents also attach importance to:
1. Can predict the possibility of hereditary hearing loss in children;
2. Children with hereditary hearing loss can be found;
3. It can also be found that although the current hearing is normal, there may be late-onset hearing loss or drug-induced deafness (deafness after taking the drug).
The timely discovery of these problems can provide parents with very valuable guidance on how to properly care for their children on a daily basis, as well as the follow-up monitoring of children's hearing.
So, which groups of people need to be screened intensively?
In view of the birth defect of deafness, three levels of prevention are advocated, that is, prevention during pregnancy, pregnancy and newborns. Therefore, genetic screening for deafness is necessary in the following populations:
1. Both men and women who are trying to conceive or either party are deaf;
2. Both men and women or either party who are trying to conceive are at high risk of deafness (such as patients with hereditary deafness in the family);
3. During pregnancy, it is recommended that all pregnant women do deaf gene screening;
4. Fetuses with high risk factors for hereditary deafness;
5. Newborns.
Although there is no clear test time requirement for deafness genetic screening, whether it is during pregnancy, pregnancy, or fetus or newborn, it is recommended that the sooner it is done, the better, so that there is sufficient time for the next step of testing and intervention.
Kangaroo Ma Ma has something to say:
Hearing is an effective way for human beings to perceive the world, learn language, read, and develop cognitive abilities, and play a vital role in our life, study, work, and social interaction.
However, the ears are fragile, and more than 80% of people with hearing impairments on the mainland are deaf due to lack of attention to protection.
Therefore, in life, we must not blindly use drugs, avoid long-term exposure to noise environments, etc., and actively do a good job of screening, so as to better protect hearing and benefit for life.