title: Prevalence of communication disorders in HIV-infected adults.
abstract: Few adult patients with HIV/AIDS are evaluated for communication disorders. A broad inventory of the communication disorders was obtained in a convenience sample of 82 adult HIV/AIDS patients who presented for medical appointments. Each participant underwent a head and neck exam and a communications skills evaluation. Speech, language, and cognition were assessed using a 10-item test battery. A 14-item hearing test battery was conducted in a separate session. The primary outcomes were the presence and degree of communication disorders. Head and neck exams revealed 40% with ear-related issues. Only 2 participants showed normal findings on all 24 communication skills assessments. Four demonstrated normal findings on all speech-language-cognitive assessments, whereas 8 had normal findings on the complete hearing test battery. A relatively high prevalence of cognitive and language deficits and central auditory disturbances were found. Clinicians must recognize the potential for communication deficits even in a relatively healthy patient with HIV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita, Wichita, KS, USA.
authors.forename: K James
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kallail
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Downs
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Scherz
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sweet
authors.forename: Rosalee E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Zackula
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003147:Communication Disorders / Q000821:virology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: HIV; cognitive disorders; communication disorders; hearing disorders; prevalence