Profile of Children Suffering from HIV/AIDS in Amritsar, Punjab- A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: HIV/AIDS in paediatric age group is a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Mostly infection is acquired in vitro and mother-to-child transmission remains the most significant route of transmission in children <15 years. Lack of awareness about the disease and occurrence of opportunistic infec- tions are common hinderances in the successful management of disease. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on less than 15 years children registered and being treated with Anti-retroviral therapy (ARV) registered with Government ART centre from 1st Jan 2016 to 31st December 2017. Socio-demographic profile, birth history, mode of transmission, side effects of anti-retroviral ther- apy and opportunistic infections were assessed. Data management and analysis was done by using SPSS. Results: Of the total 46 children, 25 (54.3%) were males and 21 (45.7%) were females. Commonest mode of transmission was mother to child (91.3%). Common side-effects observed were skin rashes, nausea/vomiting, diarrhoea, fever/headache, jaundice and anaemia. Opportunistic infections observed were tuberculosis, candidiasis, recurrent diarrhoea, failure to thrive and recurrent respiratory infections. Conclusion: On statistical analysis, it was observed that side ef- fects were significantly higher among cases from lower middle socio-economic status (p=0.015) than cases from low socio- economic status.

Keywords

• HIV/AIDS
• ARV
• side effects
• opportunistic infections
• caregivers