Clinical Manifestations of HIV/AIDS in Children in Northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Paediatric HIV infection is a major world health problem, which is progressing at an alarming rate. Children with AIDS compared to immune competent ones present with disease patterns that are different in nature, severity and/or frequency. A retrospective study of 89 children (aged 16 months to 12 years) with symptomatic HIV infection was conducted to evaluate the clinical manifestations of HIV infection in these patients, who were admitted to Gondar University Hospital in Ethiopia between September 1998 and August 2003. Majority of the patients were from urban areas. The main presenting complaint were cough and/or difficult breathing in 52 (58.4%), and diarrhoea in 47 (52.8%) patients. Chronic diarrhoea was observed in 34.8% of the patients. On admission, most of the patients had hepatomegaly (53.9%), fever (50.0%), respiratory distress (47.2%), skin lesions (46.1%), generalized lymphadenopathy (41.6%), and splenomegaly (29.2%). Neurological manifestations included developmental delay, microcephaly, and seizures. Most of the patients were malnourished. The main diseases that were identified were tuberculosis (70.9%), pneumonia (43.8%), oral candidosis (25.8%), and chronic otitis (24.7%). Eight (9%) of the patients died in the hospital. Results suggest that the manifestations of HIV infection in children are protean and mimic a number of other illnesses. A high index of suspicion will therefore help in making early diagnosis and a management plan.