A Review of Human Immunodeficiency Virus on the Auditory System

There are an increasing number of large-scale studies on the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hearing loss; these studies include both HIV-infected adults from horizontal disease transmission to HIV-infected children from vertical disease transmission in utero. With advances in HIV treatment approaches, this disease has become a chronic health condition rather than a terminal health condition. Based on recent data in this area, mechanisms within the auditory system are at risk based on HIV status. HIV-infected children have poorer hearing compared to perinatally exposed to HIV, but uninfected children. HIV-infected children also have poorer hearing compared to HIV-unexposed, uninfected children. HIV-infected adults also have poorer hearing compared with HIV-uninfected adults. Individuals with greater HIV disease severity had poorer hearing than HIV-infected individuals with lesser HIV disease severity. Auditory brainstem response data demonstrate poor waveform morphology, lower peak amplitude, increased peak and interpeak latencies in HIV-infected individuals. Conversely, distortion product otoacoustic emission data are similar for HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals status. Taken together, differences in hearing sensitivity based on HIV status may be a result of auditory neural function, although large-scale studies are currently ongoing to further examine these risk factors of HIV on the auditory system.

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