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10th Anniversary Conference Of The British HIV Association [BHIVA]15 – 17 April 2004, City Hall, Cardiff, UK |
[AUTHOR(S):] LJ Neal1, K Yoganathan2, P Roux3
1University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, 2Singleton Hospital, Swansea, UK; 3Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
BHIVA Conf 2004 Apr 15-17;10:O3
BACKGROUND: Globally, HIV infection affects 600,000 children each year, over 90% of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a huge problem in Cape Town where, annually, Groote Schuur Hospital Paediatric HIV Ward has funding for antiretroviral treatment of only 149 children.
METHODS: We reviewed 50 children on antiretroviral therapy who were admitted with HIV-related problems during August 2003. Details were recorded of their current admission and a retrospective study was carried out to assess the numbers of previous admissions and the diagnoses present, both before and after antiretroviral therapy.
RESULTS: The mean number of admissions per year before and after antiretroviral therapy was 4.5 and 1.2, respectively. Similarly, the mean number of diagnoses per admission fell from 2.1 before to 1.6 after antiretroviral therapy. HIV-related diagnoses included pneumonia, diarrhoea, wasting, haematological abnormalities, candidiasis, lymphocytic interstitial pneumonitis, dermatitis, sepsis and otitis media.
CONCLUSION: The results show that antiretroviral therapy reduces both the number of hospital admissions for HIV-related problems and the number of HIV-related diagnoses present during each admission. We conclude that antiretroviral therapy profoundly improves the health of children with HIV in Cape Town and urge that funding be made available for all HIV-infected children, not just the lucky 149.
PRESENTING AUTHOR: LJ Neal
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Copyright © 2004 - British HIV Association (BHIVA) Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the BHIVA Organising Secretariat 1 Mountview Court, 310 Friern Barnet Lane, London N20 0LD