Burden of disease: A scoping review of HIV/AIDS and TB in occupational noise-induced hearing loss

An Analysis of Risk Factors for Hearing Function in Adults Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Gauteng, South Africa

The aim of this study was to explore risk factors for hearing loss or affecting hearing function in adults living with HIV. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used to select and recruit 132 participants aged 18 years and above from an HIV clinic within the Academic Hospital in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Participants' hearing were tested using, video otoscopy, tympanometry, pure tones, and speech audiometry. Of the 22.73% prevalence of hearing loss in the sample, the multiple logistic regression, controlling for other variables, indicated that age (AOR) = 1.049; 95%CI: 1.0005 to 1.0978) (p-value = 0.048) and extended use of antiretroviral therapy (AOR) = 1.0073; 95%CI: 0.9312 to 1.0896)) (p-value = 0.856) were strongly associated with the development of hearing loss. Although the odds of male participants to have hearing loss was 2.3572 (95%CI: 0.9394 to 5.915) compared to females, this association was marginal (p-value = 0.068). Current findings provide evidence for the risk factors for hearing loss in adults living with HIV. Given that an extended use of ART and a higher number of CD4 are strongly associated with hearing loss, these findings raise important implications for a focused monitoring for this population in order to identify early signs of hearing loss and implement timeous intervention to reduce the potential impact of hearing loss.

Investigation of the Interaction between Hearing Function and Comorbidities in Adults Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus

Adults living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a high prevalence of co-existing comorbidities. While research indicates that adults living with HIV are at risk of developing hearing impairment, limited research exists on the interaction between hearing function and comorbidities in this population. The objective of this study was to determine and compare the hearing function of a group of adults living with HIV and comorbidities and those without comorbidities. A sample of 132 adults living with HIV underwent a basic audiological test battery to assess their hearing function. Participants with comorbidities were 1.23 times more likely to develop hearing loss, with crude odds of 1.236 (95%CI 0.5467 to 2.795), while those with three comorbidities were 2.52 times more likely to develop hearing loss. Participants with hypertension were 93% more likely to develop hearing loss when compared to nonhypertensive participants (OR = 1.928; 95%CI: 0.7856 to 4.7345). There was only a marginal association between hypercholesterolemia and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), with no association between other comorbidities and the type of hearing loss. The current findings raise a need for prioritizing patients with comorbidities in audiological assessment and monitoring in resource-constrained contexts, where capacity versus demand challenges might prevent the provision of audiological services to all adults living with HIV. These findings also highlight the importance of preventive care in this population with regard to the burden of the disease, as it may lead to worse ear and hearing outcomes for affected individuals.