ABSTRACT
Objective To study the clinical characteristic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients younger than 15 years old and to explore the influence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on them. Methods The clinical information, including demographic profile, clinical stages of the disease, laboratory test results and developmental status were gathered from 275 antiretroviral therapy naive patients. Results Seventy eight point nine percent patients were infected by vertical transmission. Sixteen percent were infected by receiving blood products. The average age was (7.6±3. 7) years, with 5 cases younger than 1 year old, 104 cases ranging from 1 - 5 years and 166 cases elder than 6 years. Seventy point one percent patients were classified as stage 3 or 4 according to World Health Organization definitions. The average CD4 count was ( 137 ± 159 )/μL, ( 304 ± 317 ) /μL and ( 1 246 ± 776 )/μL respectively in children elder than 6 years, ranging from 1 to 5 years and younger than 1 year. One hundred and eighty one cases suffered from anemia on different severity grading. The most common HIV related symdromes included persistent fever, skin damage, persistent diarrhea, oral candidiasis and recurrent upper respiratory tract infection. Among these infected children, 49. 6% showed height lower than x - 2s and 19. 9% showed weight lower than x - 2s. Conclusions Most survival pediatric AIDS patients are elder than 6 years. HIV infection can significantly affect the children's immune system function,growth and development.