Anthropometric indicators of human immunodeficiency virus infection in infants with early and late symptoms in the first months of life. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Anthropometric indicators of human immunodeficiency virus infection in infants with early and late symptoms in the first months of life.

Eur J Pediatr. 1998 Oct;157(10):811-3. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/99025691
Agostoni C; Riva E; Gianni ML; Silano M; Giovannini M; Zuccotti GV; Department of Paediatrics, San Paolo Hospital, Milano, Italy.; agostoc@tin.it

Abstract: Standardised growth indices (Z-scores of weight-for-age, WA, length-for-age, LA, weight-for-length, WL, according to the reference data of the World Health Organization) have been compared for the first 4 months of life among 119 infants born to mothers affected by the type-1 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Infants were subdivided according to their HIV serostatus and the clinical expression of the disease. Uninfected status (n = 92), late (>6 months, n = 18) and early (<3 months, n = 9) onset of symptoms among the HIV infected defined three groups. Infants with early symptoms showed the lowest median WA and LA Z-scores at all times and the LA difference with their uninfected counterparts was already significant at birth. Infants with late symptoms showed early differences in WL and then in WA also compared with the uninfected ones. A < -0.40 LA Z-score at birth gave a 5.9 relative risk (RR) to be an infant with early symptoms (95% CI = 1.2-27.4) while a negative WL Z-score at 2 months of age gave a 4.2 RR for the HIV seropositivity (95% CI = 2.1-8.3). CONCLUSION: Linear growth is the first parameter to be negatively affected among human immunodeficiency virus seropositive infants with early symptoms. In infants with late symptoms the lack of rapid WA and WL increase found among uninfected patients may be viewed as an early anthropometric indicator of HIV status.
Keywords: JOURNAL ARTICLE Age Factors Body Height Body Mass Index Body Weight Disease Transmission, Vertical Female Follow-Up Studies *Growth Human HIV Infections/*PHYSIOPATHOLOGY/TRANSMISSION Infant Infant, Newborn MaleKWDjournalarticleagefactorsbodyheightbodymassindexbodyweightdiseasetransmission,verticalfemalefollow-upstudiesKWDgrowthhumanhivinfections/KWDphysiopathology/transmissioninfantinfant,newbornmale
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