title: Cardiac anomalies in a group of HIV-infected children in a pediatric hospital: an echocardiographic study in Yaounde, Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac manifestations associated with the HIV infection are known adversely prognosis in adults and children, even at the infraclinical stage. Although cardiac complications of HIV infection are well described in adults, there are few reports in the paediatric age group. We performed echocardiography on a group of HIV-infected children in order to describe the spectrum of the anomalies associated with the HIV infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a cross-sectional descriptive study on a cohort of HIV-infected children followed-up in a children's out-patient clinic. All had a thorough clinical evaluation and transthoracic echocardiography with Doppler flux analysis. The data collected were analyzed with SPPS 18.0, IBM, Chicago. Statistical significance was set at P value <0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred children (52 males and 48 females) were studied. Their ages ranged from 1 to 15 years with a mean of 7 years. Forty four (44%) and 33 (33%) of the children were in World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage III and IV respectively. Fifty seven (57%) did not have any significant immune depression. The mean age at diagnosis of HIV infection was 3 years. Ninety one percent of the participants were on highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART). At least one cardiac abnormality was found in 89% of the participants; right ventricular (RV) dilatation in 76%, LV diastolic dysfunction in 32%, LV hypertrophy in 12%, pericardial effusion in 11% and LV systolic dysfunction in 2%. These abnormalities were more prevalent in late stages of the infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cardiac abnormalities are frequent in HIV-infected children, most of which remain asymptomatic. Routine echocardiography in HIV infected children will aid prompt diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chelo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Edvine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wawo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Siaha
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Aurelien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anakeu
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Francis
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ateba Ndongo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Paul Olivier
authors.initials: PO
authors.lastname: Koki Ndombo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 2 Mother and Child Center, Chantal Biya Foundation, Yaounde, Cameroon ; 3 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé I, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kingue
keywords: Cameroon; HIV-infected children; Heart anomalies; Yaounde; echocardiography