Brief report: effects of pediatric HIV infection on mental and psychomotor development.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effect of HIV status on infants' mental and psychomotor functioning, controlling for confounding factors such as prenatal drug exposure and birth conditions.


METHODS
Twenty HIV-infected and 25 seroreverted infants (ages 3-30 months old) were administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (BSID) and a neurological examination at two time points, 4 to 12 months apart. The majority were from ethnic minority, socioeconomically disadvantaged families; 67% of the infants were prenatally drug-exposed.


RESULTS
HIV-infected infants had significantly lower scores on the BSID at baseline (mental development) and follow-up (motor development) compared to seroreverters. When HIV and neurological deficits were considered together, HIV+ children with neurological deficits scored significantly lower than HIV+ children without neurological deficits and seroreverters, with and without neurological diagnoses. Prenatal drug exposure was not associated with performance on the BSID.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that CNS involvement is a critical pathway by which HIV affects infants' neurodevelopment.
Knight
W G
WG
Boston University Medical Center, Massachusetts, USA.
Mellins
C A
CA
Levenson
R L
RL
Arpadi
S M
SM
Kairam
R
R
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011596:Psychomotor Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*
D015415:Biomarkers