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New infection decreased, mortality rates increased among children, adolescents with HIV
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Between 2005 and 2012, new HIV infection among children and adolescents living in low and middle-income countries has declined while AIDS-related mortality has significantly increased, according to research presented at the AIDS 2014 meeting.
Tyler A. Porth, MSPH, of UNICEF in New York, and colleagues analyzed data from UNAIDS 2012 to quantify annual AIDS mortality risk and risk ratio among patients living with HIV. Data from nationally representative household surveys was used to estimate rates from 1990 to 2012.
Similar declines in new HIV infections were observed among adolescents, aged 10 to 19 years, and non-adolescents, aged 0 to 9 years or older than 20 years, between 2005 and 2012. Despite this, adolescents experienced a 50% increase in AIDS-related mortality while non-adolescents experienced a 32% decrease.
The annual AIDS mortality risk among individuals with HIV was similar between males and females of all ages, with the exception of adolescents aged 15 to 19 years. Among this age group, annual AIDS mortality risk rates significantly decreased among females and remained constant among males. This gender disparity has increased since 1994, according to researchers. Since 2006, adolescent males aged 15 to 19 years with HIV have been approximately 75% more likely to die of AIDS each year compared with females with HIV of the same age group.
“Data suggest [annual AIDS mortality risk] increased in the transition between childhood and adulthood, perhaps indicating adolescents lost to follow-up in the transition from pediatric facilities to adult-oriented facilities. … These findings have important implications on HIV and AIDS programs and demonstrate the need to prioritize adolescents, including adolescent boys, to enable healthy transition into adulthood,” the researchers concluded.
For more information:
Porth T. Abstract #MOAC0101. Presented at: International AIDS Conference; July 20-25, 2014; Melbourne, Australia.
Disclosure: Relevant financial disclosures were not provided by researchers.