Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Scientific basis of pediatric HIV care
- Part II General issues in the care of pediatric HIV patients
- 7 Diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in children
- 8 Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
- 9 Routine pediatric care
- 10 Immunizations
- 11 Prevention of opportunistic infections and other infectious complications of HIV in children
- 12 Emergency evaluation and care
- 13 Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children and youth
- 14 Adolescents and HIV
- 15 Adolescent reproductive health and HIV
- 16 Growth, nutrition, and metabolism
- 17 Neurobehavioral function and assessment of children and adolescents with HIV-1 infection
- Part III Antiretroviral therapy
- Part IV Clinical manifestations of HIV infection in children
- Part V Infectious problems in pediatric HIV disease
- Part VI Medical, social, and legal issues
- Appendices
- Index
- Plate section
- References
11 - Prevention of opportunistic infections and other infectious complications of HIV in children
from Part II - General issues in the care of pediatric HIV patients
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 February 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- List of abbreviations
- Foreword
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Scientific basis of pediatric HIV care
- Part II General issues in the care of pediatric HIV patients
- 7 Diagnosis of HIV-1 infection in children
- 8 Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV
- 9 Routine pediatric care
- 10 Immunizations
- 11 Prevention of opportunistic infections and other infectious complications of HIV in children
- 12 Emergency evaluation and care
- 13 Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in children and youth
- 14 Adolescents and HIV
- 15 Adolescent reproductive health and HIV
- 16 Growth, nutrition, and metabolism
- 17 Neurobehavioral function and assessment of children and adolescents with HIV-1 infection
- Part III Antiretroviral therapy
- Part IV Clinical manifestations of HIV infection in children
- Part V Infectious problems in pediatric HIV disease
- Part VI Medical, social, and legal issues
- Appendices
- Index
- Plate section
- References
Summary
Introduction
AIDS was first recognized in 1981 when an unusual clustering of cases of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) occurred among young homosexual men in Southern California, USA. Subsequently, other opportunistic infections were identified in this population, including disseminated mycobacterial infections, toxoplasmosis, and cytomegalovirus retinitis. Soon thereafter, these same opportunistic infections were identified in children. The occurrence of this group of distinctive opportunistic infections remains central to the definition of AIDS. The recognition that HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk for certain specific opportunistic pathogens has stimulated the development of strategies to prevent these infections.
For most HIV-associated opportunistic infections, the risk of infection is correlated with the patient's degree of immunosuppression. Thus, guidelines for initiating prophylaxis are generally based upon the number of circulating CD4+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. The normal CD4+ lymphocyte count is substantially higher in infants than in older children and adults, with normal values decreasing over the first few years of life. However, the normal percentage of CD4+ lymphocyte is relatively independent of age. This is reflected in the immune categories of the CDC classification system for HIV infections in children [1] (Table 11.1). Thus, a child of any age with a percentage of CD4+ lymphocytes of less than 15% is considered severely immunosuppressed and a candidate for PCP prophylaxis. In addition, infants have a less effective cellular immune response than do older children (see Chapter 1).
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- Chapter
- Information
- Textbook of Pediatric HIV Care , pp. 153 - 167Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005