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Vestibular Impairments on Objective Diagnostic Tests in HIV+ Women and Control Men and Women
Helen S Cohen1, Michael W Plankey2, Haleh Sangi-Haghpeykar3
1Bobby R Alford Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
Objective:
To describe the value of two vestibular test batteries across ages in healthy men and women for detecting vestibular disorders and to compare the occurrence of vestibular disorders in the healthy adult population and women with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease.
Study Design:
Two groups were tested on the battery of objective diagnostic tests of the vestibular system.
Setting:
Two tertiary care centers.
Subjects:
Healthy controls (284 women and 105 men) and women (63) with HIV/AIDS (HIV+) who are being followed up in a longitudinal study of HIV. They were tested on objective diagnostic tests of the vestibular system.
Results:
In all age decades, healthy controls had evidence of vestibular impairment, significantly more in older adults. HIV+ subjects, all females, did not differ from healthy control females.
Conclusion:
These data suggest that at all ages, people do have decreased vestibular function, even young, asymptomatic, and apparently healthy adults. HIV disease, itself, does not cause an increased prevalence of peripheral vestibular disorders when HIV is controlled on antiretroviral medication.
Level Of Evidence:
2 Laryngoscope, 131:E2318-E2322, 2021.
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