Influence of exposure and vertical transmission of HIV-1 on the neuropsychomotor development in children

Abstract

Introduction: Exposure to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 during pregnancy is a major risk factor for neurodevelopmental delay and deleterious effects in children. However, limited information about these conditions exists in poor geographical areas in Brazil. Prevention of vertical transmission of HIV-1 is dealt differently in different regions of the country and in poorer areas it is more difficult to evaluate the impact of the prevention methods. The outcomes of the exposure to HIV-1 and the impact of vertical HIV-1 transmission on neuropsychomotor development was evaluated for the first time in children born to HIV-infected mothers in the North region of Brazil, where the majority of the population has poor access to health services. Methods: Sixty children born to HIV-1-infected mothers (case group) and 58 born to non-infected mothers (control group) were followed for the first 12 months of life in a prospective case-control study. Neuropsychomotor development was assessed using the Denver II test. Results: Suspected neuropsychomotor developmental delays were more frequent in the case group (33.3%), namely in language (38.9%) and gross motor skills (27.8%). These delays were reversed in most children after 12 months of life due to therapeutic intervention. The delays were not reversed in three children, all of whom belonged to the case group. Only one of these was infected with HIV-1, and this child had the poorest neuropsychomotor outcomes. Conclusions: Maternal HIV-1 infection negatively affected the neuropsychomotor development in children, although other factors may have played a role.

HIV Infection and Oral Manifestations: An Update

“…Clinically, PLWH in most cases will present symptoms from a few days to weeks from exposure and contamination by HIV; usually, individuals have systemic symptoms similar to flu or mononucleosis, such as fever, weight loss, night sweats, constant diarrhea, malaise, lymphadenopathy, arthralgia, pharyngitis, and myalgia [60,61]. These clinical characteristics mentioned above are heterogeneous and may vary between cases; however, something that is common and previously documented is that individuals who delay in starting antiretroviral therapy or maintain inconsistency in treatment and who present the above-mentioned symptoms for a longer duration, which may worsen the infection, leading to systemic and oral opportunistic infections, secondary malignancies, and neurologic manifestations [62,63].…”