title: Survival, disease manifestations, and early predictors of disease progression among children with perinatal human immunodeficiency virus infection in Thailand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe survival and signs of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in perinatally infected children in Thailand.
  
  
  METHODS
  At 2 large Bangkok hospitals, 295 infants born to HIV-infected mothers were enrolled at birth from November 1992 through September 1994 and followed up with clinical and laboratory evaluations every 1 to 3 months for 18 months. Infected children remained in follow-up thereafter. For the infected children, we used data collected through October 2000 to estimate survival times and compare characteristics among those whose disease progressed at rapid (died within 1 year), intermediate (died at 1-5 years), and slow (survived at least 5 years) rates.
  
  
  RESULTS
  None of the 213 uninfected children died during the follow-up period. Of the 68 infected children, 31 (46%) died; median survival was 60 months (95% confidence interval: 31-89 months). The most common cause of death was pneumonia (52% of deaths). Thirty-two children (47%) started antiretroviral therapy. Six children died in their first year before developing specific signs of HIV infection; all others developed signs of HIV infection between 1 and 42 months old (median: 4 months). Severe clinical (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Class C) conditions were diagnosed in 23 children at a median age of 12 months, 15 (65%) of whom died a median of 3 months later. Compared with children whose disease progressed slowly, those whose disease progressed rapidly gained less weight by 4 months old (median 1.7 vs 2.6 kg), and their mothers had higher viral loads (median 5.1 vs 4.5 log(10) copies/mL) and lower CD4(+) counts (median 350 vs 470 cells/ micro L) at delivery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among HIV-infected Thai children, survival times are longer than among children in many African countries, but shorter than among children in the United States and Europe. Signs of HIV develop early in most children. Growth failure and advanced maternal disease can predict rapid HIV disease progression and may be useful markers for treatment decisions.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. agt4@cdc.gov
authors.forename: Sanay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chearskul
authors.forename: Tawee
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chotpitayasunondh
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Simonds
authors.forename: Nirun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wanprapar
authors.forename: Naris
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Waranawat
authors.forename: Warunee
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Punpanich
authors.forename: Kulkanya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chokephaibulkit
authors.forename: Philip A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.forename: Kanchana
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neeyapun
authors.forename: Bongkoch
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jetsawang
authors.forename: Achara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Teeraratkul
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Supapol
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Mastro
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shaffer
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000151:congenital* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology