# MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study: Cook County Clinical Research Site (CC_CRS)

> **NIH NIH U01** · HEKTOEN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH · 2020 · $29,157

## Abstract

Study of Hearing and Balance in Middle Aged and Aging Men and Women
 in the MACS- WIHS Combined Cohort Study
Abstract
According to the 2014 U.S. National Health Interview Survey, 5.5% of adults aged 18-39 years old self-
reported trouble with hearing without a hearing aid. Among adults 40-69 years of age, the rate was 19%
increasing to 43% among adults aged 70 and over with 63% reporting mild hearing loss. To date, there has
been no published results from these survey data of people living with HIV (PLWH) due to lack of reported
HIV status. In a pilot study of middle-aged and aging HIV positive and HIV seronegative men and women
conducted in Washington DC and Baltimore, HIV infection was associated with low and high frequency
hearing loss. But, more rigorous studies are needed, especially as more than half of PLWH in the U.S. are
over the age of 50 years old. Besides age and race/ethnicity differences in hearing and balance, being
overweight, increased alcohol consumption, smoking, less physical activity, the occurrence of hypertension
and diabetes are common risk factors for hearing and balance problems. These risk factors may also be
higher in PLWH and share a common hallmark of inflammation and immune activation. Furthermore, hearing
and balance problems may contribute to neurocognitive and physical dysfunction, which are also of concern
in aging PLWH. Finally, there is no research on the use of hearing testing applications in adults with HIV.
Evaluation of the feasibility of using a hearing testing application and the accuracy of a smartphone hearing
testing application in PLWH and their HIV seronegative counterparts are needed. We propose to address
these gaps in knowledge by implementing cohort-wide administration of the NHANES hearing (and balance
questionnaire) in the MACS-WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS) in approximately 4,100 active middle
aged and aging men and women living with and without HIV. In a subset of participants from the
Washington-DC and Baltimore sites with baseline hearing and balance data collected in 2009-2010 with
follow-up testing in 2020-2021, we propose to investigate whether the trajectory of markers of immune
activation and inflammation contribute to progression of hearing and balance issues, and whether a
smartphone hearing test application may be a feasible method to capture hearing trouble in PLWH
compared to HIV seronegative participants.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10223772
- **Project number:** 3U01HL146245-02S2
- **Recipient organization:** HEKTOEN INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** Mardge H Cohen
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $29,157
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2026-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10223772

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10223772, MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study: Cook County Clinical Research Site (CC_CRS) (3U01HL146245-02S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10223772. Licensed CC0.

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