Hormone treatment for age-related hearing loss-presbycusis

摘要

Permanent hearing loss or deafness affects about 15% of people worldwide, about 40 million in the US alone. There are currently no FDA-approved drugs on the market in the US, or anywhere in the world that prevent, treat or reverse permanent hearing loss or deafness. Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is one of the most common forms of permanent hearing loss and deafness. ARHL is the #1 neurodegenerative disorder, #1 communication disorder, and 1 of the top 3 chronic medical conditions (along with arthritis & cardiovascular diseases) of our aged population. The incidence of ARHL is increasing due to the “Baby Boomers” reaching old age, and cumulative effects of lifetime noise exposure, and widespread use of chemotherapeutic and antibiotic drugs, which are ototoxic, or have ototoxic side effects. A new drug is disclosed to prevent or slow the progression of ARHL, based upon natural, existing FDA-approved compounds that are on the market to treat other non-ARHL biomedical problems. When given in the proper dosage the compounds have few, if any side effects, and initial evidence supports the effectiveness of the drug from in vitro experiments, and in vivo studies of aging mice, indicating is usefulness in preventing/treating one of the most pervasive forms of permanent hearing loss.