Children and adolescents living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in a tertiary hospital in southern Brazil

Perfil clínico-laboratorial de crianças e adolescentes vivendo com HIV/AIDS em um hospital terciário do sul do Brasil

ABSTRACT

Objective:  The aim of the study was to describe the clinical and epidemiological features of pediatric patients living with human immunodeficiency virus in a tertiary care service in southern Brazil and the types of antiretroviral therapy (ART) used, and to compare the immunological and virological profiles at diagnosis and at the present time.

Methods:  This longitudinal, observational study involved retrospective data collection, evaluating the clinical, immunological, and virological profiles of patients treated at a pediatric infectious disease outpatient clinic in a tertiary care center in Paraná during 2022.

Results:  A total of 52 patients were included. Median age at diagnosis was 4.0 years; current median age, 10.5 years; 55.7% were girls. Most (86.5%) were cared for by parents or extended family, and 9.6% were on a second-line ART regimen. Neuropsychiatric alterations occurred in 26.9%; dyslipidemia in 66.0%. The frequency of immunosuppressed patients decreased from 35.3% to 24.4%, and the frequency of clinical symptoms from 11.6 to 1.9% (both p<0.05). The mean viral load (log) dropped from 4.62 to 3.01. No statistically significant associations were found between age, duration of follow-up, or regularity of follow-up and clinical changes.

Conclusions:  The use of ART effectively reduced viral load, symptoms, and immunosuppression. Despite improvements, a considerable percentage still shows positive viral load, indicating risk of future complications.

Keywords:
HIV; Children; Viral load; Clinical classification; Immunological classification