title: Proteinuria in paediatric patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection.
abstract: In human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected people kidney disease is as an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Clinical features of kidney damage in HIV-infected patients range from asymptomatic microalbuminuria to nephrotic syndrome. The lack of specific clinical features despite the presence of heavy proteinuria may mask the renal involvement. Indeed, it is important in HIV patients to monitor renal function to early discover a possible kidney injury. After the introduction of antiretroviral therapy, mortality and morbidity associated to HIV-infection have shown a substantial reduction, although a variety of side effects for long-term use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, including renal toxicity, has emerged. Among more than 20 currently available antiretroviral agents, many of them can occasionally cause reversible or irreversible nephrotoxicity. At now, three antiretroviral agents, i.e., indinavir, atazanavir and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate have a well established association with direct nephrotoxicity. This review focuses on major causes of proteinuria and other pathological findings related to kidney disease in HIV-infected children and adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Vania Giacomet, Paola Erba, Francesca Di Nello, Sonia Coletto, Alessandra Viganò, GianVincenzo Zuccotti, Department of Paediatrics, L Sacco Hospital, University of Milan, 20157 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Vania
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giacomet
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Erba
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Nello
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Coletto
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Viganò
authors.forename: Gianvincenzo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zuccotti
keywords: Antiretroviral therapy; Children; Human immunodeficiency virus-infection; Nephropathy; Proteinuria