title: How frequent and how early does the neurological involvement in HIV-positive children occur? Preliminary results of a prospective study.
abstract: To study the natural history of the neurological involvement in pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, 77 children born to seropositive mothers have been followed up since birth. The median follow-up time has been 17.5 months. Fourteen children were classified as infected, 34 as not infected, and 21 as indeterminable. Only two children with full-blown acute immune deficiency syndrome had severe neurological manifestations. "Soft" neurological signs were found in six infected, and ten non-infected children (chi 2, P < 0.05). The mean development quotient and IQ scores in the infected and the non-infected children were 82.22, and 93.15, respectively (Mann-Whitney test, P > 0.05). These data suggest that neurological and developmental abnormalities do not occur early in the course of vertical HIV infection and that they are associated with severe immunodeficiency.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Laverda
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cogo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Condini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cattelan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giaquinto
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cozzani
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruga
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Viero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Rossi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Del Mistro
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000386:AIDS-Related Complex / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000151:congenital / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000151:congenital* / Q000175:diagnosis; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D011247:Pregnancy