The drugs, known as aminoglycosides, are most often used in developing countries because of their low cost. While they work well against infections, they also carry a high risk for causing hearing loss -- about 8 percent of patients are thought to be affected. Previous studies in mice showed aspirin might mediate the effect, and these investigators decided to test the theory in 195 Chinese patients between ages 18 and 65 who were receiving the aminoglycoside gentamicin. Aspirin was given to 89 of the patients, and the remainder received a placebo for comparison purposes.

Hearing loss was noted in 13 percent of the placebo patients vs. just 3 percent of the aspirin patients.

The investigators believe this finding -- which translates to a dramatic 75-percent reduction in hearing loss among the aspirin patients -- should be incorporated into the care received by people being treated with aminoglycosides. "We would like to see the word get around to the medical community around the world that you can take some precautions to minimize the risk to your patients," says study author Jochen Schacht, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "Aspirin is available everywhere, and it's cheap."

Source: The New England Journal of Medicine, 2006;354:1856-1857