Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42652290›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of environmental research and public health2026

Hearing-Functioning Problems Across High-Burden Adult Health Conditions in Africa.

Gouwa Dawood, Rentia Maart, Quinette Abegail Louw

Abstract readReviewSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Gouwa DawoodDivision of Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa.
Rentia MaartDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa.
Quinette Abegail LouwDepartment of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town 7505, South Africa.ORCID 0000-0003-0238-0943

Funding

National Research Foundation Chair Initiative UID 115461South African Medical Research Council SU-PT-15/10-000005
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hearing-functioning problems contribute substantially to disability and rehabilitation needs globally; however, evidence describing the range and interconnected nature of these problems across African populations remains fragmented. This study aimed to describe hearing-functioning problems associated with high-burden adult health conditions across African populations using data from the Rehab4All database. A secondary exploratory analysis was conducted using data extracted from a large Africa-wide scoping review of functioning problems associated with conditions contributing substantially to years lived with disability (YLD). The parent review systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EBSCOhost, and SABINET and included English-language studies conducted in African adults. Hearing-functioning problems were classified according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Descriptive analyses, visual mapping techniques, and exploratory random-effects prevalence meta-analyses were performed. Ninety-seven articles published between 2007 and 2022 were included. Most studies originated from Southern Africa, particularly South Africa. Human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), tuberculosis (TB), diabetes mellitus (DM), hearing-loss cohorts, and headache-related conditions contributed most frequently to reported hearing-functioning problems. Hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular dysfunction were the most commonly reported problems; however, multidimensional co-occurring auditory and vestibular profiles were frequently identified. Distinct functional patterns emerged across conditions, with TB demonstrating predominantly auditory dysfunction, while HIV/AIDS and DM demonstrated broader auditory-vestibular involvement. Hearing-functioning problems within the African evidence base appear multidimensional, interconnected, and unevenly distributed geographically.

Indexed as

Hearing LossAdultAfricaHumansAfricaDisability and Health (ICF)hearing-functioning problemshearing lossInternational Classification of Functioningrehabilitationvestibular dysfunction

Identifiers

PMID42652290
PMCPMC13512721

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.