title: [Neurological manifestations in HIV-infected child].
abstract: The authors describe the main epidemiological, pathogenetic and clinical features of HIV-related encephalopathy in 50 pediatric patients (36 females, 24 males), born to HIV-seropositive mothers or infected by contaminated blood, observed in the Institute of Infectious Diseases of Pavia, between January 1984 and December 1994. All the patients (age 1 day-7 years) received a comprehensive evaluation, including subsequent neurodevelopmental assessments, by a multidisciplinary équipe of pediatric infectivologists and neuro-psychiatrists: the follow-up ranges from 6 months to 8.5 years. To evaluate the role of potentially covariates in HIV-vertically infected children, some maternal, gestational and perinatal factors were investigated. The neurodevelopmental assessment was carried out by a standardized protocol: tests were always conducted and evaluated by the same examiner. Seventeen pediatric patients with HIV-related neurologic impairment were observed (34%): 16 cases of encephalopathy (static-stable = 4, plateau = 6, subacute-progressive = 5, uncertain origin = 1) and 1 case of neurotoxoplasmosis. Findings of the current study demonstrate the high frequency of neurological impairment in HIV-infected infant/child, a worse evolution in this kind of patients and the effectiveness of an antiretroviral therapy only if administrated in the early phases of the disease. It was also emphasized the pathogenetic role of some covariates poorly evaluated in previously reported studies.
mesh_terms: D015526:AIDS Dementia Complex / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
vernacular_title: Quadri neurologici nel bambino HIV-infetto.