Numerous international studies have demonstrated a relationship between HIV/AIDS and auditory function. The aim of this study was to explore this relationship in a group of adults infected with HIV/AIDS attending an outpatient clinic in a hospital located in Gauteng, South Africa. The prevalence of hearing loss; the type, degree and configuration of the hearing loss; the relationship between the hearing symptoms and the progressive stages of the disease, and the type of onset of hearing problems were examined. The results of the study indicated a prevalence rate of hearing loss which was as high as 23% in the sample surveyed. The types of hearing loss included conductive and sensorineural, while the degree of severity ranged from slight to profound in nature. The configuration of the hearing loss was not frequency-range-specific, and the degree of severity did not seem to worsen with the progression of the HIV/AIDS disease. However, there did seem to be an increase in the occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss with the deterioration of patients' immunological status. Analysis of patients' audiological results along with their case history data suggested that their hearing loss may have been caused by opportunistic infections and/or their treatments. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the clinical management of patients with HIV/AIDS; education of team members; and policy formulation.
To explain how symptoms, lung function, mood, and social support affect level of functioning, patients (N = 143) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) completed measures assessing their symptoms (Bronchitis-Emphysema Symptom Checklist), mood (Profile of Mood States), social support (Personal Resource Questionnaire), and functioning (Sickness Impact Profile). Those who were receiving oxygen therapy (n = 52) had significantly lower FEV1 scores and experienced significantly poorer functioning than those who were not receiving oxygen therapy (n = 91). Results of path analyses indicated that symptoms and mood directly, and social support indirectly, influenced the functioning of those who were not receiving oxygen. For those who were receiving oxygen, only symptoms directly, and FEV1 indirectly, influenced their functioning. These models need to be confirmed using other samples of patients with COPD.
Thirty oxygen-dependent patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) participated in a descriptive correlational study in which investigators examined the relationship between oxygen-dependent COPD patients' psychological well-being, physical status, social support, and level of functioning. Lazarus and Folkman's (1984) theory of psychological stress and coping was used to guide the study. Using multiple regression analysis, physical symptoms had the most predictive power in relation to the level of functioning, accounting for 44.3% of the variance. Among the symptoms, dyspnea had the greatest influence on functioning.
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