title: Rate of candidiasis among HIV-infected children in Spain in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (1997-2008).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Candidiasis is the most common opportunistic infection seen in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected individuals. The aim of our study was to estimate the candidiasis rate and evaluate its trend in HIV-infected children in Spain during the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) compared to HIV-uninfected children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a retrospective study. Data were obtained from the records of the Minimum Basic Data Set from hospitals in Spain. All HIV-infected children were under 17 years of age, and a group of HIV-uninfected children with hospital admissions matching the study group by gender and age were randomly selected. The follow-up period (1997-2008) was divided into three calendar periods: a) From 1997 to 1999 for early-period HAART; b) from 2000 to 2002 for mid-period HAART; and c) from 2003 to 2008 for late-period HAART.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among children with hospital admissions, HIV-infected children had much higher values than HIV-uninfected children during each of the three calendar periods for overall candidiasis rates (150.0 versus 6.1 events per 1,000 child hospital admissions/year (p < 0.001), 90.3 versus 3.1 (p < 0.001), and 79.3 versus 10.7 (p < 0.001), respectively) and for non-invasive Candida mycosis (ICM) rates (118.5 versus 3.8 (p < 0.001), 85.3 versus 2.3 (p < 0.001), and 80.6 versus 6.0 (p < 0.001), respectively). In addition, HIV-infected children also had higher values of ICM rates than HIV-uninfected children, except during the last calendar period when no significant difference was found (32.4 versus 1.2 (p < 0.001), 11.6 versus 0.4 (p < 0.001), and 4.6 versus 2.3 (p = 0.387), respectively). For all children living with HIV/AIDS, the overall candidiasis rate (events per 1,000 HIV-infected children/year) decreased from 1997-1999 to 2000-2002 (18.8 to 10.6; p < 0.001) and from 2000-2002 to 2003-2008 (10.6 to 5.7; p = 0.060). Within each category of candidiasis, both non-ICM and ICM rates experienced significant decreases from 1997-1999 to 2003-2008 (15.9 to 5.7 (p < 0.001) and 4.1 to 0.3 (p < 0.001), respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the candidiasis rate still remains higher than in the general population (from 1997 to 2008), candidiasis diagnoses have decreased among HIV-infected children throughout the HAART era, and it has ceased to be a major health problem among children with HIV infection.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Rey JuanCarlos, Alcorcón, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Álvaro-Meca
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: Dariela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Micheloud
authors.forename: Asunción
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Díaz
authors.forename: Dolores
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gurbindo
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Resino
mesh_terms: D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002177:Candidiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology