Can You Hear Me Now? CF & Hearing Loss

This month, Ahmet Uluer, MD, MPH, Lauren Harvey, and Andrea Gavin Becker discuss something often overlooked in cystic fibrosis (CF) care: hearing loss. We are joined by Angie Garinis, PhD: an audiologist, researcher, and expert in hearing and balance disorders—especially when caused by medications like aminoglycoside antibiotics (specifically tobramycin) commonly used to treat lung infections in CF. She breaks down the science of ototoxicity and shares what people with CF need to know about protecting their hearing and vestibular health. Annual hearing checks, she argues, should be as routine as eye exams—and yes, there are apps for that.

If you catch a faint, high-pitched beeping during the episode, don’t adjust your headphones—it’s Andrea’s diabetes pump. Ironically, she couldn’t hear it, because of her high-frequency hearing loss. Consider it a real-world remix of chronic illness, notification fatigue, and assistive tech that sometimes...isn’t. Andrea shares her post-transplant experience with sound sensitivity, balance challenges, and advocating to avoid receiving aminoglycoside antibiotics.

Other topics include: tech advances like over-the-counter hearing aids, app-based screenings, and why not all devices are created equal.

From partner dynamics to portable audiograms, this episode blends humor, insight, and lived experience. Ghost stories, snack confessions, and singing audiologists are, of course, included. It’s the episode you didn’t know you needed to hear.

Dr. Angela Garinis https://www.ohsu.edu/people/angela-c-garinis-phd-ccc-a

Resources:

NACFC 2025 presentation by Dr. Ahmet Uluer and Dr. Karen von Berg: “A Breath of Fresh Age: Redefining Growing Older With Cystic Fibrosis”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHg8Pr0J8_o

The content presented in this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.