Symptoms of HIV infection in children of different ages. The child has HIV or AIDS. what you need to know Incubation period of HIV in children

Children and HIV infection - these two concepts are seemingly incompatible. Childhood is joy, hope, future. HIV infection is illness, suffering, death. In our country, these two concepts met in 1988-1989, when more than 270 children were infected with the human immunodeficiency virus in hospitals in Rostov, Elista, and Stavropol. It was a shock! Years passed, the childhood tragedy was forgotten, other burning problems appeared in society: drug addiction, alcoholism, street children...

HIV infection remains incurable to this day. It continues to spread despite numerous efforts by doctors and community volunteers. Yes, medications are used (and with success!), which help those infected to feel normal for a long time. But by capturing more and more new victims, whose average age is 20-35 years old, the disease confronts them with a difficult choice: to have or not to have a child. And it is very difficult to choose which answer to this question is better.

Neither doctors nor HIV-infected people themselves can know the amount of time allotted to them by the disease, which means they must think about whether they have the strength to cope with their illness and raise a child, whether they will have support if their health condition worsens, who will take responsibility for caring for the child.

Do they have the strength for a long time - about a year and a half - to be between heaven and earth, not knowing what the diagnosis of the newborn child is, and not blaming themselves if he becomes infected with HIV.

After all, the disease will occur before their eyes, and in such children the latent period of the disease is much shorter than in adults. And sometimes the disease does not give them any chance to grow up.

Today in the Republic of Tatarstan there are about 12,000 HIV-infected people, and about 1,100 children born to HIV-infected mothers. Almost 700 lucky ones have already been declared healthy for HIV infection, the other 60 receive special treatment for life, because the diagnosis of HIV infection has cast a dark shadow on their bright lives. How many years will they live if already now, in the first year of life, they are forced to receive drugs with strong side effects, if they are already lagging behind in psychomotor development, if even today they have secondary diseases that are difficult to treat, such as severe anemia, persistent eczema, neurological violations.

Vulnerability

A child can become infected with HIV in three stages:

• throughout pregnancy,
• during childbirth
• during subsequent breastfeeding of a newborn baby.

And at each of these stages you can reduce the risk of having a sick child.

During pregnancy, the expectant mother can transmit the virus to the fetus from her bloodstream through the placenta.

To reduce the risk, from the 14th week of pregnancy, a woman is prescribed special antiretroviral therapy, the drugs of which reduce the amount of virus in the mother’s blood. Childbirth is also carried out while taking medications.

During passage through the birth canal, the baby comes into contact with the blood and vaginal secretions of the infected mother. Any damage to the baby's delicate skin, certain conditions during labor, such as early separation of the placenta from the mother's uterus, increase the risk of infection.

The born child is transferred to artificial feeding, because the virus can pass to the child during breastfeeding, both through breast milk and with blood through microcracks in the nipple and its areola.

Children Kazan

All perinatal transmission of HIV occurs only through the mother. This means that in order for HIV infection to occur, the woman herself must be sick. Upon conception, even if the father is infected and his sperm contains a high concentration of the virus, the virus can only penetrate the woman’s body. If the woman did not become infected during sexual contact, the child will be definitely healthy - it is not the infected sperm itself that gets into the future embryo, but only the male sex cells - sperm, which, according to all studies, HIV cannot penetrate and infect.

The disease is a question mark

Enough time has passed since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic for doctors to take real action to protect vulnerable babies born to HIV-infected women. At first, it was believed that the probability of having an infected child was 50% in developing countries and 25% in developed countries. This was associated with the level of organization of obstetric care. Although some babies become infected quite early in pregnancy, most become infected during childbirth.

Therefore, the first recommendations were proposals to perform a caesarean section for HIV-infected expectant mothers.

The positive side is that the fetus does not pass through the birth canal and does not come into contact with the secretions of the birth canal, where HIV is found in high concentrations. But this method cannot prevent intrauterine infection, and in addition, it gives a high level of complications. Therefore, now newborn babies from HIV-positive mothers are born naturally with active cleansing of the birth canal with antiviral drugs, which reduces the risk of infection to 4-8%. And there are cases of healthy babies being born.

A newborn baby is also prescribed antiretroviral drugs for prevention, but in a form convenient for him - in syrup.

During the gestation process, the child, while still in the womb, receives antibodies to HIV from the mother’s body, so the final diagnosis is made after 18 months, when the child’s body has formed its own immune system and is able to produce its own antibodies.

Like any serious illness, HIV infection brings a lot of grief to childhood. Moreover, vertically acquired HIV infection tends to develop more severely and rapidly. As immunity declines, just as in infected adults, a spectrum of opportunistic infections develops. Compared to adult patients, cytomegalovirus and toxoplasmosis are less common in children; bacterial infections, Pneumocystis pneumonia and candidiasis are more often recorded. Children with HIV develop more slowly, they reach sexual development later, but in general, with the right medical and social approach, their lives can and should be made happy.

Modern antiretroviral therapy regimens have been developed for HIV-positive children. In addition, they require gentle, caring care to prevent infections and other diseases.

There are also some peculiarities: live vaccines are dangerous for such children, so the traditional polio vaccine is replaced with an inactivated one. And such simple childhood infections as measles and chickenpox can lead to serious complications, which is why vaccination against these infections is mandatory for children with HIV .

The worst thing about all this is that innocent children are suffering. With adequate treatment and care, these guys can live normal, full lives. At the same time, like HIV-positive adults, they face stigma, social rejection and prejudice. And their unprepared and vulnerable children’s souls experience it much more difficult. A couple in which one or both spouses are HIV-infected, when deciding to have a child, must approach this very responsibly, with full awareness of the problems that will inevitably arise. Only such conscious responsibility will prevent the tragedy of the life of both the unborn individual little man and our entire society.

Recently, the number of women who suffer from immunodeficiency has increased significantly, and this provokes an increase in the number of children born with HIV. Russian patients suffer especially badly from this disease. Previously, a study was conducted in Moscow, according to which out of 2 thousand babies born in a year, 80 children were HIV-positive. This immediately answers the question: can a child have HIV?

To determine whether the baby has an infection, you need to wait until he is 1 month old and then do a PCR test.

If the result is negative, if the mother is infected with a retrovirus, the following measures are recommended for the child:

1. Regular examination by a local doctor is carried out.
2. Vaccinations are carried out under general conditions.
3. It is necessary to retake the test when the child reaches 3 months, six months, a year, and a year and a half.
4. At the age of one and a half years, if the result is negative for the presence of infection, the baby is removed from the register.

If the result is positive for the presence of a retrovirus in the child’s blood, the following actions are performed:

1. Secondary study after 2 weeks. If the result is confirmed, then the child is definitely infected.
2. The little patient is placed on permanent registration.
3. Regular visits are made to the pediatrician, local doctor, and doctors at the AIDS Center.

Symptoms of HIV in children

HIV infection in children can be congenital or acquired.

In the first case, the following types of immunodeficiency virus in children are distinguished:

1. Dysformic type. In most cases, it occurs in babies whose mother is a carrier of the virus. In its symptoms, this form resembles encephalopathy.
2. AIDS-associated complex. If a child has this type of AIDS, symptoms such as prolonged fevers, during which heavy sweating occurs, are possible.
3. AIDS itself. Childhood AIDS is characterized by the development of various types of secondary infections, and the formation of oncology is possible.

Photos of the stages of HIV in infants can be seen below.

If a child was born HIV-infected, he often suffers from various viral and bacterial pathologies, which are much worse than in healthy babies.

The question is often asked about how long children born with HIV infection live. As a rule, their life expectancy does not exceed 3 years on average, then death occurs. However, with timely treatment, this figure can increase several times.

Diagnosis of HIV (AIDS) in children of the younger age group

The peculiarities of the course of HIV in children of a younger age group are that in about 80% of cases, infection is observed in the perinatal period. Moreover, the rate at which the first signs of the disease appear directly depends on the time of infection - during childbirth or during feeding with milk from an AIDS-positive mother.

In case of transmission of the virus during lactation, symptoms begin at the age of 2.5 years. In turn, the manifestation of HIV in children under one year of age is very dangerous and in most cases such babies do not survive even two months after the onset of the first symptoms.

According to a number of clinical studies, young patients infected with immunodeficiency from birth are susceptible to more rapid development of the disease. The formation of AIDS occurs at the age of 2-3 years, and more severe manifestations of bacterial infections are observed. Moreover, such children are less likely to develop oncology than young patients with acquired immunodeficiency virus.

Treatment of HIV-infected children

Regardless of how the disease was acquired, children cannot do without long-term antiviral treatment. In case of oncology development, surgical removal of the tumor is used as the main therapy.

In addition, quite often preference is given to immunoreplacement treatment, the essence of which is a transfusion of lymphocytes or a bone marrow transplant. Immunomodulators are used that act on the viral enzyme. These include Azidothimine and Ribavirin. It is worth noting that even the slightest effect from the use of these drugs can only be noticed if they are taken regularly; no breaks are allowed. As a side effect from the use of these medications, the body becomes accustomed to their active substances, which ultimately leads to a number of serious complications. To avoid such consequences, treatment regimens are periodically adjusted.

At this stage, new drugs are being developed that could completely inactivate the human immunodeficiency virus.

Preventing a child from becoming infected with HIV

Primary preventive measures include testing donors’ blood for the presence of a retrovirus, so that the child is not given contaminated drugs if such manipulation is necessary. During surgical procedures, it is very important to use only sterile instruments.

In addition, to prevent the birth of a child with an infection, healthy sexual relationships are promoted, where it is strongly recommended to use a condom during sexual intercourse.

If a woman is diagnosed with immunodeficiency during pregnancy and is not treated, doctors in most cases recommend terminating the pregnancy, since there is a huge risk of transmitting the disease to the baby. If the second trimester occurs, abortion should be abandoned; in such situations, doctors prescribe Azidotimidone to the patient. Taking this remedy reduces the likelihood of having a sick child by 50%.

In situations where a woman has decided to give birth, a caesarean section is mandatory. This eliminates the possibility of infection of the baby during childbirth. It is strictly forbidden to feed a baby with milk obtained from the breast of a sick mother. If the father is infected, then in order to give birth to a healthy child, the mother must be fertilized artificially.

Rights of HIV-infected children

As is known, the transmission of immunodeficiency does not occur through household means, therefore children with HIV infection (AIDS) do not pose any danger to others in the following cases:

• while coughing or sneezing;
• when in the same room;
• when bitten by insects;
• in case of using a shared towel or bed linen;
• when shaking hands or hugging;
• when kissing;
• If all hygiene rules are observed in the hairdressing salon, then there is nothing wrong with cutting a healthy and infected child’s hair using the same accessories.

When the child enters kindergarten or school, parents reserve the right not to announce his illness to the teachers of this institution. You should know that no individual or legal entity has any right to demand from parents a certificate of the presence of acquired or congenital HIV (AIDS) in children.

At the same time, it is also important to note that if an HIV-infected child is born, he immediately acquires the right to undergo free treatment in special centers for the rest of his life.

How do children with HIV live? They are no different from their peers, however, due to their reduced immunity, they are more likely to suffer from various infections. That is why visiting large crowds of people is highly discouraged for such children, especially during epidemics.

Benefits for HIV-infected children

Today, Russia provides benefits for HIV-positive children. Their payment is carried out until the child reaches 18 years of age.

Benefits for a child born with HIV are presented as follows:

• social pension;
• benefit for an HIV-infected child;
• various social support measures that are created specifically for children with disabilities.

Children with HIV raised in a family provide a number of benefits for their mother or father. For example, they are given a special allowance intended for people who care for disabled people. It is worth noting: the peculiarities of the course of HIV infection in children require increased attention for the baby. In addition, the time spent caring for a child with immunodeficiency is included in the parent’s work experience.

Benefits for HIV-infected children begin to be paid only if a certain package of documents is collected.

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) in children occurs when a virus enters the body, causing persistent pathological weakening of the immune system. It was first described by the French scientist L. Montagnier in the 90s of the 20th century. Based on the data of a virologist, one can understand the nature of the occurrence of HIV. This is a virus with a complex structure, which is resistant to various types of influences and has a high degree of variability.

According to the results of recent studies, we can talk about a decrease in the incidence of HIV infection among children, thanks to proper diagnosis and treatment. Parents of HIV-infected children should know about modern methods of treating the infection in order to make life easier and their adaptation in society.

HIV is a retrovirus in origin, in which the genetic material consists of RNA. This type of virus is capable of penetrating the body’s DNA as a result of transformations and destroying healthy cells or converting them into cancer cells.

In the case of HIV, it destroys the immune defense. It is difficult for such children to fight various types of infections. Therefore, parents should help their child manage life with HIV in such a way as to minimize the risk of complications.

Causes of HIV infection in children

In many countries, children who have already been living with HIV infection for some time are under special medical supervision. The causes and transmission of infection are still being studied.

There are several main reasons:

• early and unprotected sexual contacts during adolescence with HIV carriers;
• drug addiction, when a shared syringe is used to inject drugs;
• in newborns, HIV infection enters the body during passage through the birth canal of an infected mother or during intrauterine development through the placenta;
• blood transfusion from a donor - a carrier of infection - to a healthy child;
• use of poorly processed and disinfected medical instruments;
• organ transplantation from an infected donor.

The sites of localization of the immunodeficiency virus are the bloodstream, semen, vaginal secretions and cerebrospinal fluid. Infection from mother to child is considered the most common route (statistics show more than 80% of such cases).

Periods of infection in early childhood

With vertical transmission of the virus, three periods of possible infection are noted.

Perinatal

This is intrauterine transmission of the virus through the placental circulation. This period accounts for 20% of cases of all possible transmission routes from the mother.

Intrapartum

This is the name given to the transmission of infection through the interaction of the skin of a newborn with the vaginal secretions of the mother during natural childbirth. The risk of developing HIV in this period is the highest; it accounts for 60% of cases.

Postnatal

This is transmission of the virus through mother's milk during breastfeeding. This stage accounts for about 20% of cases.

Doctors try to diagnose the disease in an expectant mother in a timely manner in order to prevent the possibility of a natural birth and minimize the degree of danger for the newborn.

Factors that increase the risk of infection in children

Factors that provoke the development of HIV are:

• late detection of infection in a woman during pregnancy and lack of preventive measures;
• multiple pregnancy;
• premature birth;
• natural delivery;
• uterine bleeding during pregnancy and childbirth;
• entry of mother's blood into children's respiratory tract during birth;
• drug and alcohol addiction of a pregnant woman;
• breastfeeding by an HIV-infected mother;
• the presence of various chronic diseases in the mother who is a carrier of the virus;
• infection with various types of virus.

The manifestation of the disease in children differs from adults infected with HIV. Pediatricians consider CNS pathology to be one of the first manifestations of the immunodeficiency virus.

Symptoms

When infected with the virus through the genital tract, acute retroviral syndrome occurs. Then the disease goes through several stages: the first two are hidden, without pronounced symptoms, and in the next two stages signs of infection in children already appear. Symptoms during vertical infection in the acute and latent periods may not be observed.

In a third of infected children, after the incubation period, the first signs are observed in the form of various upper respiratory tract infections, skin rashes, meningeal symptoms and other childhood diseases. The duration of this stage varies from several days to two months.

The next four stages of HIV development occur in different ways.

Asymptomatic manifestation

There is no obvious course of the disease, but an increase in 2 groups of lymph nodes may be observed. The duration of this stage is from two to ten years.

Second phase

Characterized by a sharp weight loss, defects appear on the skin and mucous membranes, as well as herpes zoster. During this period, the general state of health does not change.

Third stage

The body's immunodeficiency begins to appear. The general condition is disturbed, causeless diarrhea occurs, sudden loss of body weight, persistent increase in temperature, headache, increased sweating, decreased memory and other symptoms are observed. HIV infection in children is also characterized by the appearance of neurological disorders, oral candidiasis, and CMV mumps.

The fourth stage (the actual stage of AIDS)

The body is already exhausted, severe signs of the disease appear, including tumor formations.

Young children affected by the virus are characterized by frequent bacterial infections. In half of the cases, children suffer from inflammation of the middle ear, meningitis, dermatitis, pneumonia, sepsis, and damage to the musculoskeletal system. To alleviate their condition, it is important to diagnose the disease in time and begin treatment.

Diagnostics

To diagnose HIV in children, a comprehensive study is used - the so-called immune status test. One of the necessary examinations is to determine the amount of antibodies to HIV. It is carried out using ELISA. If the reaction is positive, an immunoblotting test is prescribed, which is considered a reliable method for detecting the virus.

If the result is negative, PCR helps identify the disease, which is used from the 2nd month of life.

Diagnostics includes other tests that detect abnormalities in the atypical course of the disease (including an MRI method with a contrast agent, which helps determine the presence of the virus at the asymptomatic stage).

Treatment

Children born with HIV infection should be systematically observed by specialists from the AIDS center, pediatricians from the district clinic, and a phthisiatrician. At each appointment, doctors examine the little patient and assess his general condition, and also conduct a series of studies, the results of which determine the degree of damage to the immune system.

In addition, doctors assess the weight and height of infected children every six months, monitor the Mantoux reaction, and draw blood and urine. Parents make sure that the HIV-infected person’s diet is high in calories.

Principles of therapeutic therapy for HIV-infected children

HIV infection in children cannot be completely cured, so no medicine can destroy the virus, but helping the patient live a full life with this problem is quite possible. To do this, we are guided by the following principles:

1. Antiretroviral therapy, which is considered the mainstay of treatment for HIV infection in children. Along with this method, symptomatic treatment of secondary diseases caused by weakened immunity may also be required.
2. Any method of therapy can be used only after the child’s parents sign consent to its use.
3. All necessary medications are issued at the AIDS center at the place of residence of the HIV-infected patient; Here experts give recommendations on their use.
4. To reduce the level of viral resistance to certain drugs and increase the effectiveness of treatment, several different antiviral drugs are prescribed.
5. Violation of the conditions for taking medications leads to a lack of treatment results, so it is important to strictly follow the instructions for taking medications.
6. The patient undergoes all stages of treatment at home under the supervision of doctors (in exceptional cases, hospitalization is required).

Treatment measures for HIV infection

Treatment, regardless of the route of entry of HIV infection into the child’s body, should be started as early as possible. In addition to taking antiviral drugs, surgery may also be required (for example, if a tumor is detected).

One of the common methods of treatment is immunoreplacement therapy, when the patient is transfused with lymphocytes. In special cases, a bone marrow transplant is recommended. Immunomodulators that affect viral enzymes are often used.

The effectiveness of treatment with these drugs is possible only with their regular use. Any interruption of medication is strictly prohibited. To prevent the virus from becoming resistant to certain components, doctors periodically adjust the drug regimen.

Depending on the concomitant diseases, additional antibiotics, antifungal drugs, and anti-tuberculosis drugs are used.

We must not forget about taking vitamin complexes so that the adaptation of HIV-infected children into society is as complete as possible.

It is important to begin treatment of the newborn immediately after birth if the mother did not receive any supportive therapy during pregnancy. First of all, breastfeeding is prohibited as one of the main ways of transmitting the virus.

Scientists around the world are conducting research to invent a drug that can inactivate HIV.

Forecast

The prognosis for children with HIV is quite serious. Parents of young patients are always interested in how long children with HIV live, and whether it is possible to cure HIV. Properly selected antiretroviral therapy significantly slows down the rate of development of the disease. Today, unfortunately, the disease is incurable, but if you follow all medical recommendations, including the treatment regimen, you can achieve high-quality adaptation of infected children into society.

Prevention of HIV infection in children

Prevention of HIV infection in children, which includes a whole range of measures, plays an important role in reducing morbidity.

Primary prevention

This includes testing donated blood for the presence of a retrovirus. This will help avoid infection when transfusing blood components to children when necessary. This group also includes complete sterility of medical instruments intended for surgical procedures and strict control during organ transplantation for children.

Promotion of healthy lifestyles

This is especially important for preventing the occurrence of HIV infection among adolescents who began sexual activity early or use drugs. Education should be conducted in schools to explain the need to use condoms during sexual intercourse and the principle of discretion in intimate relationships. Psychologists, teachers, doctors and parents of teenagers are involved in such events. Society should try to instill in children a love of sports, family values, and responsibility for their own health and the health of their loved ones.

Perinatal prevention

This is a set of measures carried out when an immunodeficiency virus is detected in a pregnant woman. In such cases, it is recommended to terminate the pregnancy in the first trimester, and at a later date, strictly follow all the doctor’s recommendations and adhere to the treatment regimen. These measures help reduce the risk of having sick children by half. Infected women should only give birth by caesarean section. After giving birth, the baby should not be fed with breast milk. If the father is infected, only artificial insemination of the mother is possible.

Monitoring and vaccination of HIV-infected children

If there is an HIV-infected child in the family, it is necessary to register him with a medical institution in order to competently carry out treatment measures. It is strictly forbidden to hide this diagnosis from doctors; this can harm the child, depriving him of the opportunity to live a full life. Timely vaccination of HIV-positive children is one of the important preventive measures.

Carefully following all the recommendations of doctors, delicately explaining to HIV-infected children the features of their lifestyle, you can significantly improve the prognosis for young patients. Although the disease is incurable today, the work of many scientists is yielding positive results in this direction. Perhaps in the coming years, every patient with HIV will have a chance at a long and happy life.

Constantly increasing all over the world. 90% of infection occurs naturally, i.e. .

Features of HIV infection in children

The following features of HIV infection in children have been clinically proven:

• HIV in newborns can develop into AIDS by the age of five, which occurs in 80% of registered cases.
• Children born with HIV in 20-30% of cases are affected by a rapidly progressing form of the disease, which gives a high viral load both immediately at birth and during the first months of life.

HIV disease progresses differently in children than in adults. This determines the features of treatment and care for children born with HIV. The physician caring for these young patients must have special knowledge and experience. HIV-positive children even endure the common childhood diseases chickenpox and measles with difficulty, with complications. Therefore, they definitely need vaccinations against rubella, mumps, and measles, which are not contraindicated for children with HIV. But they are contraindicated from vaccinations, which are represented by live vaccines: against tuberculosis (BCG), against yellow fever, against polio. It is possible that the polio vaccine can be replaced with an alternative that is not live.

Intellectually, children from HIV-infected parents develop normally, physically a little slower, and they begin puberty later.

HIV in newborns

In most cases, HIV in newborns is caused by the presence of the disease in the mother and is acquired:

• in utero;
• during childbirth;
• when breastfeeding.

At the same time, HIV studies make it possible to identify a larger number of infected children in the 1st month of life and all HIV-positive children by the sixth month of life.

How often are HIV-infected children born? The probability (up to 50%) of having a sick child from an HIV-infected mother depends on whether the expectant mother is taking antiretroviral drugs, and how long and seriously she has been ill. On our website there is a detailed article about. If a child is infected with HIV during pregnancy or birth, HIV infection may develop more quickly. If they are not treated, the child will become seriously ill in early childhood.

How long do children with HIV live?

The question of how long children with HIV live worries many parents who are faced with this problem. The answer to this question is ambiguous. Despite the fact that the reaction of the nervous system of children to HIV is different from the reaction of adults, HIV infection in children transforms into the AIDS phase after approximately the same period of time as in them.

However, it is worth noting that due to the fact that children do not have developed immunity to various pathogenic microorganisms, they are at increased risk of developing opportunistic infections and, accordingly, they will more often require emergency medical attention.

Signs and symptoms of HIV in children

All children born with HIV contain maternal antibodies in their blood. It is possible to find out whether a child is sick using methods for diagnosing HIV infection in children at different periods of his life. Even if there are no signs of HIV in children, in order to confirm the diagnosis after receiving a positive answer, the test should be repeated.

How does HIV manifest in children? The main symptom is enlarged lymph nodes (

HIV infection is a real scourge of the modern world. It is widespread throughout the globe, affecting the young, able-bodied part of the planet's population.

The danger also lies in the fact that often people do not suspect that they have this disease, and, being its carrier, contribute to its further spread.

Unfortunately, HIV is diagnosed not only in adults, but also in newborns - most often it is transmitted to the baby from the mother. If the parent “awarded” the child with the infection or he received it in another way, then the first symptoms of HIV appear, on average, up to 3 years of life.

When, when the disease develops rapidly before one year of age, the baby dies within a few months.

When a child is infected at a later age, the incubation period, that is, hidden, lasts 5 years, and life expectancy after this may be about three years if measures are not taken.

Why does HIV develop?

HIV is the abbreviated name for the condition caused by the human immunodeficiency virus. It is accompanied by a decrease in immunity, and, against this background, the development of various infections, malignant tumors, etc.

The spreader of this virus can be a person with AIDS(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome provoked by HIV infection), or its carrier. In nature, the source of this virus is chimpanzees.

The virus can remain in the human body for several years without causing any symptoms. AIDS is the last stage of the disease. It is characterized by the appearance of various complications, which ultimately lead to death.

The pathogen is contained in all biological fluids of the body: blood, saliva, tears, breast milk, cerebrospinal fluid, and secretions of the sex glands. Once in the human body, the immunodeficiency virus destroys the cells responsible for immunity: lymphocytes, macrophages. By multiplying, it causes their death, then penetrates into the blood, and with its current enters other parts and systems of the body.

At first, the human body is able to compensate for losses by forming new cells. But over time his strength is lost, the immune system is depleted and the infected person becomes susceptible to various infections. They are the ones who cause death in AIDS.

Main routes of transmission:

• sexual;
• with blood - injections, blood transfusions, dental interventions, salon manipulations (piercing, tattoos, manicure);
• from an infected mother to the fetus;

The risk of developing the disease increases in people with unconventional orientation and drug addicts.

How does infection of newborns occur?

A child becomes infected with HIV in the following cases:

• in utero- through the placenta, cervix or fetal membranes;
• due to physiological labor, especially if there is a perineal incision;
• during breastfeeding through contaminated milk;
• through raw tools, skin damage;
• during manipulations involving blood- organ transplants, blood transfusions.

The earlier a child becomes infected, the more severe and rapid the disease progresses.

It is very important that an HIV-infected mother takes appropriate specific therapy during pregnancy. This will reduce the child’s risk of illness to a minimum.

First signs and later

The human immunodeficiency virus multiplies rapidly in the blood, but when released into the environment it is destroyed within 20 minutes. Also, this pathogen is sensitive to high temperatures: at 60° its properties are significantly reduced, and at 80° it dies.

The incubation period, that is, the time from the moment the virus enters the body until the development of the first signs of HIV infection, ranges from a couple of months to 10 years. It all depends on what age the child was infected. After the incubation period, the disease begins to develop quite quickly.

Common HIV symptoms At an early stage, children have the following manifestations:

1. Increased body temperature. Its values ​​can be up to 38° or higher. This is the body’s response to the introduction of viruses, because it is accustomed to the fact that at high degrees they die. But not in this case. Hyperthermia can persist for up to 4 weeks.
2. Enlarged lymph nodes.
3. Increased sweating.
4. Increased size of the liver and spleen.
5. Respiratory phenomena, rash.
6. Changes in blood tests.
7. Often an early manifestation of HIV in children is neuroAIDS, that is, disorders of the nervous system. Based on which department is involved in the process, they distinguish:
   • for disorders of the central nervous system: encephalopathy: characterized by a decrease in the ability to remember, impaired movement, muscle weakness, small contractions, decreased mood, lethargy, and fatigue.
   • encephalitis - the disease begins with mild symptoms: forgetfulness, movement disorders, muscle weakness, poor emotions. Then a rise in body temperature to high levels, loss of consciousness, and convulsions occur.
   • meningitis - headaches are in the foreground, nausea and vomiting are less common. Characterized by increased temperature, decreased body weight, and rapid fatigue. Muscle symptoms may develop: inability to bring the head to the chest, muscle stiffness.
   • When the spinal cord is damaged, myelopathies are observed - they manifest themselves as weakness in the legs, which is first replaced by partial and then complete immobility. There are malfunctions in the functioning of the pelvic organs, decreased sensitivity;
   • when the peripheral parts of the nervous system are damaged, polyneuropathy develops - immobility, a decrease in the volume of muscles of the limbs on both sides.

In newborns, signs of damage to parts of the nervous system can appear from 2 months. The main features include:

• convulsions;
• increased tone of the arms and legs both at rest and during movement;
• inconsistency of muscle movements;
• impaired mental function; underdevelopment of parts of the brain.

There may be no early signs in children, and the disease begins to manifest itself immediately from the first stage.

The main symptoms of HIV in children of different ages are almost the same, but there are some peculiarities.

Newborns with HIV infection are usually born prematurely or with low birth weight. The presence of intrauterine infection is also characteristic: herpes, cytomegalovirus and others. Subsequently, these children do not gain weight well. The appearance of the child is also characteristic: protruding forehead, shortened nose, squint or protrusion, blue tint of the sclera, plump lips, a clearly defined pit above them, developmental defects: cleft palate, cleft lip.

Other signs of the immunodeficiency virus may appear in children infected in utero or during birth, between 3 and 9 months.

These symptoms include:

1. Disorders of mental and physical development: such children begin to walk and sit late, the level of psychomotor development is also not normal.
2. Poor weight gain, low height gain.
3. Lymphadenopathy is enlargement of the lymph nodes.
4. Increase in body temperature to 38°.
5. Enlarged liver, spleen.
6. Skin lesions: fungal, bacterial infections, dermatitis, rashes in the form of blisters.
7. Infections of the oral cavity in the form of aphthous stomatitis. It manifests itself in the form of ulcers on the mucous membrane.
8. Disturbances in the functioning of the heart, kidneys, and respiratory organs.
9. Malfunctions of the digestive system: poor appetite, nausea, vomiting, bloating.
10. Central nervous system disorders.
11. Such children very often suffer from infectious diseases that are severe and long-lasting.
12. In rare cases, cancer develops.
13. Changes in blood tests: anemia, decreased levels of leukocytes and platelets.

These symptoms are also typical for older children. The routes of infection for them can be organ transplantation, blood transfusion, injections, or sexual contact.

People with HIV infection live an average of 10 years. It should be noted that there are people who are immune to the HIV virus due to the presence of a certain immunoglobulin A.

Stages of the disease

As already mentioned, The first stage of HIV in children is latent and can last up to 10 years.

It is also called chronic lymphadenopathy, since its main symptom is enlarged lymph nodes. It is of a generalized nature - at least 2 groups of nodes increase, and located to the waist: in the chin area, near and behind the ears, above and below the collarbone, on the back of the head and in the neck area. But the process can also involve the inguinal, femoral, popliteal lymph nodes; their sizes reach 1 cm and are affected symmetrically on both sides. There is no pain when palpating the nodes. They are not connected to nearby tissues, the skin over them is not changed.

When these symptoms appear, it is worth excluding the development of other pathological processes.

The main criterion is persistent lymphadenopathy - for 3 months. This sign is one of the main symptoms of HIV infection.

This stage is also characterized by fever, sweating, malaise, and poor weight gain.

Stage 2 of the disease or acute stage is characterized by pronounced symptoms.

Symptoms of the acute stage of HIV include:

1. Constant hyperthermia, enlarged lymph nodes.
2. Night sweats.
3. Digestive system disorders - nausea, vomiting, diarrhea.
4. Dramatic weight loss.
5. Children often suffer from infectious diseases: bronchitis, pneumonia, otitis media, ARVI.
6. Fungal, bacterial lesions of the skin, mucous membranes: rash, stomatitis, purulent elements.
7. Nervous system disorders: meningitis, encephalitis, dementia.
8. Blood poisoning.

The final stage of the disease, AIDS itself, is accompanied by damage to all organs and systems, severe diseases of the skin and mucous membranes, significant weight loss due to digestive problems, and the addition of a secondary infection.

The leading symptoms of the last stage of HIV infection are opportunistic and oncological diseases, that is, those that develop as an associated infection with HIV due to reduced immunity. These may be infections caused by the herpes virus, Epstein Bar, cytomegalovirus, as well as tuberculosis and pneumonia.

The most common of these diseases in children is:

1. Pneumocystis pneumonia. Affects children 1 year of age. The causative agent is Pneumocystis. The disease is characterized by the formation of infiltrates in the lungs and is accompanied by the following symptoms:
   • obsessive nonproductive cough;
   • temperature increase;
   • rapid breathing;
   • weakness, increased sweating at night.
2. Interstitial pneumonia. This disease is typical only for childhood, begins unnoticed and has a sluggish course. It is non-infectious in nature. Accompanied by the formation of infiltrates from cells of the immune system. Main symptoms:
   • shortness of breath, rapid increase in respiratory failure;
   • cough without sputum production;
   • signs of lack of oxygen.

Oncological diseases in children can develop Kaposi's sarcoma and brain tumors, but this is extremely rare.

The course of the final stage of AIDS is quite severe. The child's death occurs from an associated infection.

Diagnostics

Diagnosing children for HIV can be carried out even in the prenatal period. To do this, the amniotic fluid is examined or a chorionic villus biopsy is taken. But these methods are quite traumatic.

Confirming the presence of the disease in newborns born to HIV-positive mothers is difficult. The thing is that at birth their blood contains maternal antibodies, which disappear only by 18 months, and only in rare cases can they go away earlier. In this regard, the diagnosis of these children can be established or refuted no earlier than 1.5 years.

Currently There is a PCR method that allows you to isolate the DNA of the virus. This is a fairly sensitive method, thanks to which examination can be carried out already in the first two days after birth. If the examination result is positive, it is repeated in 1-2 months.

A second positive result confirms the presence of HIV infection in the following cases:

• if 1 result was negative and the second was positive, this also indicates the presence of infection;
• if the first 2 examinations gave a negative result, the next one is carried out at the age of 4 months using other methods - enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblotting;
• if the diagnosis is not confirmed, it is carried out at 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 months. If the results are negative 2 times in a row, the diagnosis is removed.

In older children, HIV can be detected 2 weeks, 3 and 9 months after infection.

Laboratory tests are the first thing that is used to make a diagnosis of HIV infection. But they also play a role here:

• clinical manifestations;
• collecting data indicating the possibility of infection;
• X-ray data, MRI.

The diagnosis of AIDS cannot be based on a single examination. This requires a series of tests at a certain time interval. Also, do not forget about the possibility of a false positive reaction. This mainly occurs due to errors in the test. Therefore, you should only trust trusted laboratories and not conduct the test at home, although this option is also possible.

Treatment

Despite the large amount of research on AIDS, Unfortunately, a cure for it has never been found..

But there is antiretroviral therapy that can prevent the development of the disease in children born to HIV-positive mothers. These drugs slow down the reproduction of the virus.

A condition for positive treatment is the use of a complex of such drugs by pregnant women and the child after birth.

In infected children, HIV treatment is reduced to treatment of concomitant diseases and symptomatic treatment.

AIDS is a serious and fatal disease. And it is doubly sad when it affects the younger strata of the population. Therefore, the fight against this disease should begin, first of all, with prevention and dissemination of knowledge about it.