Voices of HIV-infected childrenLETTER TO THE EDITORS
Dear Editor, the publication on “Auditory-perceptual and acoustic analysis of voices of HIV-infected children” is very interesting(1). Pereira et al. concluded that “HIV-infected children presented similar vocal quality to children without the illness, both for the perceptual-auditory and acoustic evaluation”(1). In fact, the vocal quality of children should not be different regardless of HIV infected status. Nevertheless, the HIV infected children with poor immune status are usually superimposed with opportunistic medical disorders which might affect the vocal quality. In HIV infected cases with severe immunodeficient status, there might be an abnormal laryngeal electromyography and poor vocal quality(2). The CMV infection, which is a common opportunistic infection in HIV infected patients with late stages of disease, is a possible important cause of poor vocal quality(3). In the present report by Pereira et al., if there is additional classification of immune status of the HIV infected children, there might be some difference in subgroup analysis.
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Study conducted at Sanitation 1 Medical Academic Center - Bangkok, Thailand.
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Financial support: nothing to declare.
REFERENCES
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1 Pereira EC, Rodrigues CO, Silvério KCA, Madazio G, Behlau M. Auditory-perceptual and acoustic analysis of voices of HIV-infected children. CoDAS. 2017;29(6):e20170022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/201720170022 PMid:29236906.
» http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2317-1782/201720170022 -
2 Sims HS, Patel S, Barr A. Laryngeal electromyography findings in a patient with HIV, John Cunningham virus and bilateral true vocal fold motion impairment. J Natl Med Assoc. 2008;100(7):856-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0027-9684(15)31381-X PMid:18672564.
» http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0027-9684(15)31381-X - 3 De la Blanchardiere A, Dore M, Salmon D, Sicard D. Left vocal cord paralysis in cytomegalovirus multifocal neuropathy in a patient with HIV infection. Presse Med. 1996;25(3):106-7. PMid:8746083.
