Question:

I tried to find information on kids born with HIV, but not much information... I heard that kids born with HIV have a different kind of virus, is this true? Could you please direct me how to find information on kids born with HIV? I also heard that treatment for HIV depends on individual reaction, some could be worse, the virus could change to different type, is this true?

A frind of mine, her daughter was born HIV positive, she is now 8 years old. What are the possible symptoms to show that HIV is reacting? Could a rash on her skin be the symptoms? She has this rash on her arm since [being a ]baby and starting last year it spread around to other parts of her body.

Answer provided by:

Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California

http://www.hivpositive.com/f-Women/9-Kids/9-pediatric.html

Please refer to the above website, which should give you some more specific answers to your questions.

I am not aware of HIV+ children having a different virus than adults; often they do better than adults do (most are diagnosed at the time of birth, and therefore get treatment at an early age; also, the child's immune system is felt to be more hearty than the adult's). I am also not aware of any greater tendency towards mutation.

The daughter of your friend could indeed be having rash a symptom of HIV--BUT remember for all symptoms, that they occur more commonly in settings other than HIV: Many children have rashes, including some chronically, and thus I would never recommend using the rash, or any one specific symptom, as a gauge on how she is doing.

Thanks for your interest in finding out more!

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