Adults with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have poorer hearing than those without the HIV infection, according to a recent study.

Researchers from San Diego State University in California found that high-frequency pure-tone average (HPTA) and low-frequency (LPTA) were significantly higher (i.e. poorer hearing) for adults with HIV compared with adults without the infection for the better ear.

For the study, researcher Peter Torre III and his colleagues evaluated pure-tone hearing thresholds among 262 men (117 HIV positive) and 134 women (105 HIV positive). The men had an average age of 57 years and the women were an average age of nearly 48.

The results were independent of long-term exposure to antiretroviral medications, current CD4+ cell count and HIV viral load.

The relationship between HIV and hearing loss in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has not been investigated thoroughly, according to the study background.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that HIV positive individuals have poorer hearing across the frequency range after many other factors known to affect hearing have been controlled for," the study concludes.

The findings are detailed in a report published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.