Epidemiology of HIV infection in children in Italy. The Italian Register for HIV Infection in Children.
As of April 1992, 2337 children born to HIV-1-positive mothers were recorded by our multicentre study. Another 131 children were infected by contaminated blood products, while in 5 cases the risk factor remained unknown, as their personal history was lacking. The number of perinatally exposed children increased exponentially from 1981 to 1986, then stabilized. Of these, at last visit 624 were infected (531 P-2, 93 P-1), 463 were P-O and 1195 had seroreverted. Drug addiction continues to be the most frequent maternal risk factor, although infection acquired through sexual contact gradually increased up to 26.5% in 1991. Of the 762 first children identified at birth and older than 15 months of age, 132 (17.3%) acquired infection and seroconverted to HIV. A similar transmission rate was observed in 43 second-born children.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D065227:Transfusion Reaction; D014611:Vaccination