Publications by authors named "Enica R Massawe"

Importance: Predicting neurocognitive deficits using complex auditory assessments could change how cognitive dysfunction is identified, and monitored over time. Detecting cognitive impairment in people living with HIV (PLWH) is important for early intervention, especially in low- to middle-income countries where most cases exist. Auditory tests relate to neurocognitive test results, but the incremental predictive capability beyond demographic factors is unknown.

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Purpose: Age-related sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), is a progressive, usually bilateral hearing loss that occurs in elderly. It is correctable using rehabilitative hearing devices, which can vastly improve the older person's quality of life. This study aimed to find out the prevalence and related factors of age-related sensorineural hearing loss among elderly patients in Tanzania.

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Family medicine has existed as a training pathway through a private university in Tanzania since 2004. As global calls have increased to embrace primary health care as a pathway to ensuring universal health coverage, so has Tanzania recently turned to explore family medicine as a specialty to improve access to comprehensive, high-quality healthcare for her entire population. This article outlines ongoing efforts to define competencies and skills of a family medicine physician in Tanzania, engage government support and open the first public university training programme for family medicine postgraduate education.

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Objective: Central nervous system (CNS) damage from HIV infection or treatment can lead to developmental delays and poor educational outcomes in children living with HIV (CLWH). Early markers of central nervous system dysfunction are needed to target interventions and prevent life-long disability. The frequency following response (FFR) is an auditory electrophysiology test that can reflect the health of the central nervous system.

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Importance: Despite normal audiometry, adults living with HIV have lower distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) compared with HIV-negative controls, but the degree of these differences in children living with HIV is unknown. If subclinical auditory deficits are present, results could affect developmental outcomes in children living with HIV (CLWH).

Objective: To compare DPOAEs and auditory brainstem responses (ABR) between 2 age- and sex-matched groups of younger children with normal audiometry, 1 infected with HIV and the other uninfected.

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Tests requiring central auditory processing, such as speech perception-in-noise, are simple, time efficient, and correlate with cognitive processing. These tests may be useful for tracking brain function. Doing this effectively requires information on which tests correlate with overall cognitive function and specific cognitive domains.

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Objective: Little is known about peripheral auditory function in young adults with HIV, who might be expected to show early evidence of hearing loss if HIV infection or treatment does affect peripheral function. The goal of this study was to compare peripheral auditory function in 2 age- and gender-matched groups of young adults with clinically normal hearing with and without HIV.

Study Design: Matched cohort study with repeated measures.

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Background: A unique syndrome affecting young adults of unexplained hearing loss often associated with uncorrectable poor visual acuity and lower extremity numbness is endemic in Dar es Salaam. This study characterized the hearing loss, associated it with other symptoms, and gathered information on potential causes.

Methods: Forty-seven patients (23 men, 24 women) <40 years old with a symptom consistent with the syndrome, negative syphilis test, and no head injury history were recruited from Muhimbili National Hospital.

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Background: Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is a condition with nonspecific symptoms and most of times patients present late with advanced disease which may predispose to malignancy. The magnitude and clinical characteristics of this condition are not well known among patients attending Otorhinolaryngology services in Tanzania.

Materials And Methods: This was a hospital based descriptive cross sectional study, conducted in the wards and clinics of Otorhinolaryngology department of Muhimbili National Hospital.

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Introduction: Aspirated foreign bodies continue to pose challenges to Otorhinolaryngologists and are potentially life threatening thus an otorhinolaryngological emergency. The main stay of treatment of foreign bodies (FBs) in the tracheobronchial tree remains to be bronchoscopy while bearing in mind earlier and safer removal of such foreign bodies. Spontaneous expulsion of an Intrabronchial foreign body is a rare entity with few cases reported in the available literatures.

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Objective: To test the hypothesis that human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects auditory-neurophysiological functions.

Methods: A convenience sample of 68 HIV+ and 59 HIV- normal-hearing adults was selected from a study set in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The speech-evoked frequency-following response (FFR), an objective measure of auditory function, was collected.

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Objective: Chronic suppurative otitis media is among the most common otological condition reported in otorhinolaryngology practice commonly attributing to preventable hearing loss. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and etiological agents for chronic suppurative otitis media in our department.

Results: A total of 5591 patients were recruited in this study and only 79 (1.

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