Frequency of HIV infection amongst children with disseminated tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis in Aligarh (North India) - a low HIV prevalence area.
OBJECTIVE
To determine frequency of HIV in children with disseminated tuberculosis and tuberculous meningitis in a low HIV prevalence area, and to study clinical profile of those found HIV positive.


METHODS
Cross-sectional, descriptive study.


METHODS
Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India from February 2005 to January 2008.


METHODS
The study was conducted on 215 children under 14 years of age with either disseminated tuberculosis or tuberculous meningitis. HIV infection was diagnosed in accordance with WHO strategy II. In children younger than 18 months, the strategy (to cut down costs) was to screen first by HIV antibody testing and subject only positive cases to virological tests. Parents of HIV positive children were also tested for HIV and counselled. The clinical profile of HIV positive patients was noted.


RESULTS
The frequency of HIV was 5.12%, while that in cases of disseminated tuberculosis was much higher (22%). No case with isolated tuberculous meningitis was HIV positive. The majority (45.45%) of patients with HIV were between 1-5 years of age. The mode of infection in 7 (63.63%) cases was parent to child transmission. Loss of weight, prolonged fever, pallor, hepato-splenomegaly and oral candidiasis were the commonest clinical manifestations among HIV positive patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinically directed selective HIV screening in cases of disseminated tuberculosis can pickup undiagnosed cases of the same in areas with low prevalence of HIV infection.
Ramzan
Mohammad
M
Depatment of Paediatrics, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, AMU, Aligarh, India.
Ali
Syed Manazir
SM
Malik
Abida
A
Zaka-ur-Rab
Zeeba
Z
Shahab
Tabassum
T
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014390:Tuberculosis, Meningeal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*