The Effect of Oral Candidiasis on the Speech Production, Feeding Skills, and Self-Concept of Children and Adolescents With Symptomatic HIV Infection

Launched by NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE (NCI) · Dec 9, 2002

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

Language impairments in children with symptomatic HIV infection are associated with the direct effects of HIV on the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, expressive language is more vulnerable to the effects of HIV compared to receptive language (Wolters, et al., 1995). Several factors, however, are likely to be involved in producing the expressive language impairments observed in the HIV-infected pediatric population. Oral candidiasis (thrush), a fungal infection in the oral cavity that frequently appears in HIV-infected children (Walsh, 1994), also may contribute to speech and langu...

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Eligibility criteria

• • Children and adolescents with HIV infection, ages 6 through 21 years of age, who are treated in other protocols at the Pediatric Branch of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and have oral candidiasis as determined by the Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, are eligible to participate in this study.
• • Children and adolescents with infections or diseases other than candidiasis affecting the oral cavity as determined by the PNP's during the physical exam will be excluded from the study.
• • Furthermore, patients who are identified by the speech pathologist to have oro-facial structural and/or functional abnormalities that cause a significant disturbance in speech, voice, or swallowing will be excluded.
• • Children will also not be able t participate in the study if they cannot understand the measures, even if the questions are read to them, which will be determined by the Neuropsychology staff.