Behavioral and Electrophysiological Assessment of Central Auditory Processing in Individuals with Sickle Cell Disease.

Introduction: Sickle cell anemia has a genetic origin characterized by an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The nervous system may be subject to vaso-occlusion and, consequently, affect the proper functioning of the central portion of hearing.

Objective: To assess central auditory skills and analyze short- and long-latency auditory evoked potentials in children with sickle cell disease.

Methods: Cross-sectional study. All children had normal hearing thresholds, and their central auditory processing underwent behavioral assessment with a battery of tests involving dichotic and monotic listening, binaural interaction, and temporal processing. The electrophysiological assessment used short- and long-latency auditory evoked potentials. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results: Of the 28 subjects evaluated (mean age of 9.46 years), 18 were females and 10 were males. Central auditory processing disorder was identified in 85.7% of the children. The auditory skills of figure-ground for verbal sounds, binaural interaction, and complex temporal ordering were the most affected. An increase in the absolute latencies of Waves III and V was observed in the short-latency potential.

Conclusion: Individuals with sickle cell disease have central auditory processing disorder, identified primarily by behavioral assessment.