SLPNarrative ReviewThe South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir Kommunikasieafwykings2025

Hearing loss in HIV-exposed but uninfected children: Advocating for the role of audiologists in South Africa.

Katijah Khoza-Shangase

PMID 40171706

WHAT IT FOUND

HIV-exposed but uninfected children in South Africa face high risks of hearing loss from antiretroviral exposure and socioeconomic barriers.

Audiologists are rarely part of the care teams managing these children, leaving early detection and intervention largely missed.

Key findings

01HIV-exposed but uninfected children have higher rates of auditory deficits linked to antiretroviral therapy exposure and socioeconomic factors.

02Audiologists are frequently excluded from multidisciplinary teams caring for these children, resulting in missed opportunities for early diagnosis.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs

Read the rest of this summary

You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.

Already have one?

What it does not show

This is a narrative review and advocacy piece, not a primary study with new patient data. It relies on previously published studies and does not present a systematic search or meta-analysis. The recommendations are theoretical and have not been tested for efficacy in the paper.

Declared interests

The research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

The easy way to misread this

Do not interpret the proposed policy changes as evidence that they have been implemented or tested. This is an advocacy piece calling for action, not a report of a successful intervention.

Read it on PubMed →