title: Hearing assessment data in HIV-infected and uninfected children of Cape Town, South Africa.
abstract: Researchers are showing that the rate of hearing loss in children with perinatal HIV infection (PHIV) is higher than in HIV-unexposed, uninfected children. These data, however, have been collected mostly in the USA; extensive hearing data from low- and middle-income countries are lacking. The purpose of this study was to collect audiometric data in PHIV and HIV-uninfected children living in Cape Town, South Africa. Questionnaire data along with distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and pure-tone testing were completed. Hearing loss was determined using the pure-tone thresholds defined as a pure-tone average (PTA) of 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz of >15 dB HL in the poorer ear. All data were compared between PHIV and HIV-uninfected children. Sixty-one (37 PHIV and 24 HIV-uninfected) children had hearing data. HIV status was not significantly associated with DPOAEs. The rate of conductive hearing loss was 11.5%; five PHIV and two HIV-uninfected children. The rate of any hearing loss was higher in PHIV children, but this difference was not statistically significant. PHIV children had a significantly higher mean PTA in the poorer ear than HIV-uninfected children. Conductive type of hearing loss was more common than sensorineural hearing loss. The underlying cause of hearing loss in the present study therefore remains unclear. Future research should include an examination of auditory neural function in an effort to determine the possible reason for differences in hearing.
authors.affiliation: a School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences , San Diego State University , San Diego , CA , USA.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Torre
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Haley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.forename: Gouwa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dawood
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Laughton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001301:Audiometry, Pure-Tone; D001309:Auditory Threshold / Q000502:physiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017084:Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous / Q000502:physiology*; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: children; distortion product otoacoustic emissions; hearing loss; perinatal HIV infection