Research · 2026-08-26
Kratom Use Linked to Hearing Loss and Rhabdomyolysis in Rowan University Case Report
Source: Case Reports in Otolaryngology
Why it matters
Clinicians treating patients with unexplained hearing loss or acute kidney injury should ask about kratom use. This report adds sensorineural hearing loss to the growing list of documented kratom-associated complications.
The big picture
This is only the second published case linking kratom to sensorineural hearing loss, published in Case Reports in Otolaryngology by researchers at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University. The broader clinical picture shows kratom-related complications increasingly reaching emergency departments and ICUs as use rises — kratom-related poison center calls increased from 2015 to 2025 per CDC data. Without kratom-specific urine testing, these cases can be difficult to diagnose and may be underreported.
Key findings
- A 32-year-old man developed septic shock, acute kidney injury, and right-sided hearing loss after using 6-8 kratom capsules daily for two years to self-treat anxiety
- CK levels reached 90,665 U/L, consistent with severe rhabdomyolysis requiring three hemodialysis sessions
- Patient tested positive for fentanyl despite denying use; kratom's inhibition of CYP2D6 and CYP3A enzymes may have slowed fentanyl metabolism and amplified toxicity
- Hearing returned to normal bilaterally (5-10 dB at all frequencies) on Day 10 after treatment with corticosteroids and antibiotics
- Authors note kratom toxicity may mimic other toxidromes, and wider access to urine 7-hydroxymitragynine testing would improve clinical diagnosis
What they say
"This case underscores the potential complications associated with kratom use and its sedating effects and the need for further characterization of kratom toxicity to distinguish it from other toxidromes." — Watanabe H, Zhang K, Shapiro Y, Case Reports in Otolaryngology, 2026
Bottom line
A man required emergency dialysis and nearly lost his hearing after two years of daily gas station kratom use — and the case may have gone undetected without kratom-specific testing.