title: Older children and adolescents surviving with vertically acquired HIV infection.
abstract: This article describes the characteristics of children infected vertically with HIV surviving 10 years or more who were enrolled in the prospective European Collaborative Study. Thirty-four of 187 infected children were identified with a median age of 11.4 years (range, 10.1-15.9 years). Factors examined included clinical status, immunologic and virologic characteristics, type of antiretroviral therapy, and psychosocial characteristics. By 10 years of age, 6 (18%) children had progressed to Class A as determined by the system of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 17 (52%) to class B, 7 (21%) to class C, and 3 (9%) had remained asymptomatic. At 73% (904 of 1234) of scheduled clinic visits, these children had no symptoms of HIV disease. Most children were in CDC immune categories 1 (18, 56%) or 2 (11, 34%) at their last visit. Three quarters (24 patients) were on combination therapy with three or more drugs, although 3 children had never received any antiretroviral therapy. Nineteen (56%) children were living with at least 1 parent and the mothers of 13 (38%) children had died. Most (77%) children had been told about their HIV infection. Children infected vertically with HIV who have survived their first 10 years are mainly free of serious symptoms. As they enter adolescence, additional services are needed including support with disclosure to others, therapy, and sexual health.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Child Health, London, UK
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Newell
authors.forename: Francesc Asensi
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Botet
authors.forename: Ann-Britt
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Bohlin
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ferrazin
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giaquinto
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de José Gomez
authors.forename: Jacqueline Y Q
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Mok
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mur
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peltier
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D011584:Psychology; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors