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Children exposed to HIV early on at risk for neurodevelopmental delays later
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Children who live in resource-poor settings and who have HIV or are exposed to the virus may be at greater risk for neurodevelopmental delays compared with other children, according to data in a study published online.
Kirsty Le Doaré, BA(Hons), MBBS, MRCPCH, of the Centre for International Health and Development at the University College London, and colleagues conducted a journal and conference website search for articles published between 1990 and March 2011 that used the search terms, “infant, child, HIV, neurodevelopment, cognition, language, and antiretroviral therapy.”
The researchers found 31 studies that looked at neurodevelopmental outcomes in children aged younger than 16 years who were exposed to HIV or had HIV infection early on.
Mean motor and cognitive scores were 1 to 2 standard deviation below the population mean in the children who were exposed to HIV or had HIV, the researchers said. However, they added, these scores were slightly better in children who received early ART.
Even among some of those children who did not have HIV but were just exposed to the virus, the researchers noted some delays in speech and language.
“Only a concerted, multidisciplinary approach to diagnosing and treating developmental delay, including antiretroviral therapy, physiotherapy and early psychological/behavioral therapy, will enable these children to reach their full potential,” they concluded.
Kirsty Le Doaré, BA(Hons), MBBS, MRCPCH can be reached at Paediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, 5th Floor Lanesborough Wing, St. George's Hospital and Medical School, Blackshaw Rd., London SW17 0QT, United Kingdom.
Disclosure: The Africa Centre for Health and Population Studies is funded by a core grant from the Wellcome Trust. Le Doaré reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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