AIDS in childhood: cardiac involvement with and without triple combination antiretroviral therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in the echocardiogram of children with AIDS followed up in a reference service at 18+/-6 months of AIDS confirmed diagnosis.


METHODS
A cross-section study with a cohort after 18+/-6 months of AIDS diagnosis. The study included a total of 93 children with a confirmed diagnosis of AIDS with vertical transmission, with no malignancies and who underwent echocardiogram (echo) during cardiologic evaluation. Cardiac abnormalities were assessed in patients who were not treated (G1) and patients who were treated (G2) with combination antiretroviral therapy.


RESULTS
When diagnosed with AIDS, the children were on average 3.07 years old and 50.50% were female. The combination regimen with antiretroviral agents was used by 47 patients (G2). Cardiac involvement was present in 40 children (43.00%). The presence of left ventricular dysfunction (G1: 39.10%; G2: 10.60%) and the isolated enlargement of left ventricle (G1: 6.60%; G2: 14.90%) were the most frequent findings. We observed a significant association between the groups without and with combination antiretroviral therapy asregards the presence of left ventricular dysfunction (PR= 3.42; [1.41-8.26]; p = 0.02) and malnutrition (PR = 1.79; [1.00-3.20]; p = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac involvement was frequent in children with AIDS and left ventricular dysfunction was the most common abnormality on echocardiogram. There was a statistically significant difference between the groups with and without triple combination treatment as regards the presence of left ventricular dysfunction and malnutrition.
Cunha
Maria do Carmo Soares Alves
Mdo C
Instituto de Puericultura e Pediatria Martagão Gesteira, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ - Brazil. mccunha@rionet.com.br
Siqueira Filho
Aristarco Gonçalves de
AG
Santos
Silvia Reis dos
SR
Abreu
Thalita Fernandes de
TF
Oliveira
Ricardo Hugo S de
RH
Baptista
Denise Marcelino
DM
Dantas
Marylane Christian Feitosa
MC
Carvalho
Márcia Fernanda
MF
Guedes
Luciane Gaspar
LG
D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000635:transmission; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents