title: Cardiovascular dysfunction in HIV-infected children in a sub-Saharan African country: comparative cross-sectional observational study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cardiac dysfunction is rarely diagnosed in HIV-infected children in our setting and standard care does not include baseline and follow-up echocardiography. We aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern and predictors of HIV-related cardiac dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-diagnosed HIV-infected children aged 18 months to 12 years from a tertiary teaching hospital in Lagos, South-West Nigeria were enrolled in a comparative, observational cross-sectional study; matched with apparently healthy controls of the same age group, were recruited sequentially between May 2004 and 2007. Proportions of pre-defined cardiac abnormalities such as heart failure diagnosed by clinical examination and dilated cardiomyopathy and ventricular dysfunction by echocardiography were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of cardiac abnormalities in HIV-infected children was 75.9%. Abnormalities included heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy (33.7%), decreased LVSF of ≤ 25% in 33.7%, increased left ventricular mass (20.5%) and pericardial effusion (14.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Structural and functional abnormalities are prevalent in HIV-infected African children and therefore justify inclusion of routine echocardiography in their standard care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria. faimer2004_christy@yahoo.com
authors.forename: C A N
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Okoromah
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Ojo
authors.forename: O O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Ogunkunle
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015153:Blotting, Western; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019562:Viral Load