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Hearing Loss in Perinatally HIV-infected and HIV-exposed but Uninfected Children and Adolescents
The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, 07/31/2012
Torre P et al. – Hearing loss was more common in both HIV+ and HIV–exposed but uninfected (HEU) children than in children from a US population sample. More advanced HIV illness increased the risk of hearing loss in HIV+ children.
Methods- Audiometric examinations were completed in children who met any prespecified criteria for possible hearing loss.
- The hearing examination consisted of a tympanogram in each ear and pure-tone air-conduction threshold testing from 500 through 4000 Hz.
- Hearing loss was defined as the pure-tone average over these frequencies 20 dB hearing level.
- The associations of demographic variables, parent/caregiver, HIV disease and HIV treatment with hearing loss were evaluated with univariate and multivariable logistic regression models.
- Hearing testing was completed in 231 children (145 HIV+ and 86 HEU).
- Hearing loss occurred in 20.0% of HIV+ children and 10.5% of HEU children.
- After adjusting for caregiver education level, HIV infection was associated with increased odds of hearing loss (adjusted odds ratio = 2.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.95–4.76, P = 0.07).
- Among HIV+ children, those with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention class C diagnosis had over twice the odds of hearing loss (adjusted odds ratio = 2.47, 95% confidence interval: 1.04–5.87, P = 0.04).
- The prevalence of hearing loss was higher in both HIV+ and HEU children compared with National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III children.