The highest mortality rate for HIV-infected infants is due to the rapid progression of HIV infection in infants <1 year of age. Infants infected with perinatal HIV will mostly die before the age of 2 years, but the risk of death begins to decline at the age of > 5 years.
Indications for starting antiretroviral therapy in children < 10 years.
Several studies have shown that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy in children can reduce mortality by up to 75%.
Antiretroviral therapy should be given to all HIV-infected children regardless of clinical stage and immunosuppressed status :
- HIV-infected children diagnosed before 1 year of age.
- HIV-infected children aged > 1-10 years.
Antiretroviral therapy in children.
Antiretroviral therapy in children is divided into :
- Age < 3 years.
- Age 3-10 years.
The pathogenesis of perinatal HIV infection is different from that in adults. The viral load-set point in perinatally infected infants can be many times higher, therefore optimization of antiretroviral therapy in children < 3 years of age plays an important role in achieving effective control of viral replication.
First-line antiretroviral therapy in children < 3 years :
- 2 Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors + 1 Protease inhibitors (Optional) ➡️ (Abacavir/ABC or Zidovudine/AZT) + 3 Lamivudine/TC + Lopinavir/Ritonavir LPV/r
- 2 Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors + 1 Non - nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (Alternative) ➡️ (ABC or AZT) + 3TC + Nevirapine/NVP
Note : if viral load monitoring is available, a guideline for LPV/r to Efavirenz/EFV may be considered after > 3 years of age (persistent viral suppression is achieved).
Antiretroviral therapy in children 3-10 years :
- (Optional) ➡️ AZT + 3TC + EFV
- (Alternative) ➡️
ABC + 3TC + NVP
ABC + 3TC + EFV
AZT + 3TC + NVP
TDF + 3TC (or Emtricitabine/FTC) + EFV
TDF + 3TC (or FTC) + NVP
Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.
Vertical transmission is a method of transmission from mother to child through one of the processes : during intrauterine, intrapartum, or post-natal (during breastfeeding). This transmission is the main transmission (92%) of HIV infection in children aged < 13 years.
- All pregnant women with HIV should be given antiretroviral therapy without waiting for a CD4 count.
- Elective cesarean section at 39 gestational age in a pregnant HIV patient with a viral load greater than 1000 copies/ml or an unknown viral load in the third trimester.
- Infants born to HIV-infected mothers receiving breast milk ️ Zidovudine and Nevirapine prophylaxis according to gestational age for 6 weeks (mother should be on combination antiretroviral therapy).
- Babies born to HIV-infected mothers who receive breast milk substitutes ️ Zidovudine prophylaxis according to gestational age for 6 weeks.
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