2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-07 17:49
HIV infected children
Child from HIV infected mother (father)
Human immunodeficiency virus is a dangerous, slowly progressive disease of the immune system, gradually weakening human immunity, which leads to the emergence of various infections and tumors. Ultimately, HIV reaches a stage at which, due to the weakening of the immune defense, the patient develops tumor or secondary infectious diseases. This stage is called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS. Both adults and children are susceptible to HIV infection.
The virus can be transmitted to a child from an infected mother. Infection can occur during intrauterine development of the fetus, during childbirth or breastfeeding. Under normal conditions, the placenta that connects the mother and the fetus protects the fetus from various infectious agents, such as HIV, contained in the mother's blood. But if the membrane of the placenta is damaged or inflamed, its protective properties are significantly reduced, and there is a high probability of penetration of viruses. On average, the risk of having a child with HIV infection is about 50%.
Men and women with HIV infection should always consult a doctor before deciding to become pregnant. Modern methods of medical intervention can significantly reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to a child. During pregnancy, an HIV-infected woman should be seen regularly by a qualified obstetrician. Only he prescribes all preventive treatment. In case of feeling unwell after taking any drug, it is urgent to tell the doctor about it - you cannot change the treatment yourself.
Often the question arises about the risk of having a child with HIV infection if only the father is infected. Perinatal transmission of the virus is through the mother. The mother must be infected with the virus to transmit HIV to the fetus. During conception, even if the father is infected and the virus is present in high concentrations in his sperm, only the woman is at risk of infection - through infected sperm.
In the germ cells of the sperm - sperm, according to all studies, the virus cannot penetrate, namely, they enter the embryo. If, during sexual intercourse, which led to the conception of a child, the virus was transmitted to a woman, then the risk of infection of the fetus exists - since its development will occur against the background of the intensive development of HIV in the mother.
If, during conception, the woman did not become infected, which can be confirmed by special laboratory tests, and the woman will always use a condom during her further sexual activity with a partner, then there is practically no chance of infection of the child. A child's infection with HIV is not immediately apparent. In the first or second year of life, disorders begin in about 10-20% of children. For the rest, the first symptoms of the virus may appear many years later.
Half of children with HIV infection are diagnosed with AIDS by the age of three. With a disease that begins after infancy, there may be an alternation of periods of illness and periods of time with relatively good health. HIV acquired in adolescence can cause mild symptoms or not manifest itself at all for several months or years (approximately the same HIV infection occurs in adulthood).
As the child's immunity decreases, many complications and symptoms arise. About 30% of children with HIV infection usually develop pneumonia during the first years of life. With significant lung damage, thickening of the terminal phalanges of the fingers and coughing develop. Pneumonia is also a very dangerous complication in children with AIDS. Pneumocystis pneumonia is usually transmitted to children with congenital HIV at least once in the first fifteen months of life.
HIV positive children need constant medical supervision and treatment. If social services are functioning well and there is the possibility of home visits, then children can spend more time not in the hospital, but at home. The decision to attend school or kindergarten must be made in conjunction with a doctor - there is a possibility of contracting infectious diseases.
Tuberculosis in HIV-infected
The combination of HIV and tuberculosis in infected people is quite common. In countries where HIV is particularly prevalent, about 40% of people diagnosed with tuberculosis are also infected with HIV. People who are simultaneously infected with tuberculosis and HIV are at the highest risk. They are significantly more likely to develop tuberculosis each year than the rest of the population in their entire lives. Today it is known that HIV and tuberculosis can be combined in three ways:
- Primary infection with tuberculosis in people with HIV infection.
- Concurrent infection with HIV and tuberculosis.
- Development of tuberculosis due to immunodeficiency that occurs with HIV infection.
It has been proven that HIV leads to death and infects cells that play a major role in protecting the body from tuberculosis. Their decrease in the human body significantly disrupts cellular immunity. This factor is one of the explanations of the reason for the frequent combination of HIV infection and tuberculosis.
The author of the article: Sokolova Praskovya Fedorovna | Pediatrician
Education: Diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" received at the Volgograd State Medical University. A specialist certificate was immediately received in 2014.
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