Banca de DEFESA: BRENDA KARLA SILVA DA CUNHA

CHARACTERIZATION OF OTOACOUSTIC EMISSIONS EVOKED IN ADULTS WITH HIV AND/OR ACQUIRED SYPHILIS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS

Hearing; Hearing Loss; Acquired syphilis; HIV; auditory tests.

Introduction: The auditory system is a complex structure composed of sensory organs that make up its peripheral and central portions. There are external factors that can act as harmful agents and cause damage to the inner ear, such as some diseases. Syphilis and HIV are a known cause of sensorineural hearing loss, but there is a scarcity of studies that evaluate these damages. Objective: To characterize the findings of transient stimulus-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAE) and distortion product (DPOAE) in individuals with HIV and/or syphilis.
Methodology: Prospective observational study of the sectional type carried out in Public Services of Natal, approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Institution (n. 4,627,820). Eighty-seven adults of both genders, aged 18 to 59 years and 11 months, were recruited. One was excluded for presenting other risk indicators, so the others were allocated into four groups: G1: nine adults with acquired syphilis; G2: 34 adults with HIV; G3: 10 adults with HIV and syphilis (coinfection) and G4: 33 adults without a diagnosis of acquired syphilis and/or HIV or other pathologies that indicate risk for hearing loss. The research protocol consisted of anamnesis, analysis of medical records, application of the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP) scale, tympanometry with a 226Hz probe, TEOAE and DPOAE. The S/N ratio and amplitude were analyzed at all frequencies per ear and intra- and inter-group statistical tests were applied. Therefore, the data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The significance level adopted was 5%. Results: Of the 86 subjects, three were excluded because they presented alterations in the meatoscopy and one in the tympanometry. Therefore, of the 82 subjects included (average of 34.52 years), 66.2% were men, cisgender, and one transgender woman, belonging to G1. There was no association between the presence and absence of TEOAE and DPOAE and the groups studied. However, the G1 presented 33% of failure in the TEOAE and 67% of the DPOAE were present with altered amplitudes in the RE. Still, it was possible to observe in the TEOAE of the EO that the S/N ratio was higher in G3 and G4 when compared to G1. There were no statistically significant differences in the DPOAE S/N ratio in both ears. Furthermore, in general, greater amplitudes were observed in the lower frequencies in both OAEs. Conclusion: The audiological findings did not show an association between the presence or absence of TEOAE and DPOAE responses and the diagnosis of HIV and/or syphilis.