AIDS at Central University Hospital of Brazzaville: experience of the "Grands Enfants" pediatric department

The epidemiological factors, clinical aspects and short term evolution of children infected by aids were assessed over a period of five years in "Grands Enfants" paediatric service of Brazzaville CHU. The medical reports of 81 patients have been collected, their average age was 9 years old +/- 3.5. The HIV 1 was the only identified virus. 59% of children's parents were divorced, and 7% were single. The infection transmission was vertical in 70% of cases, transfusional in 28% of cases and indeterminate in 1% of cases. The symptoms were: the impairment of body status in 90% of cases, shown by a weight loss in 89% of cases; a long-term fever was observed in 56% of cases and a chronic diarrhoea was noticed in 54% of cases. The lymphadenopathies and digestive Candida were observed in 26% and 36% of cases. 6% of the patients had a psychomotor retardation. The respiratory infections and the diarrhoea were pathologies the most frequently noticed. The associated infections were essentially pulmonary tuberculosis 40% of cases, the otitis, the pneumococcal and cryptococcal meningia 2% of cases. The Burkitt lymphoma and the Kaposi sarcoma were shown in 1% of cases. The evolution was shown by a high mortality due to a dehydration in 59% of cases, a respiratory pathology in 22% of cases and anaemia in 15% of cases. This high mortality points out the problem of the treatment of patients, a problem increased by family poverty.