The Incidence of Respiratory Tract Infections in Vertically HIV-Infected Children in Lower Silesia in Poland and the Approach to Infection Prevention.

ABSTRACT

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a risk factor associated with respiratory tract infections. However little is known about the prevalence of these infections in HIV-infected children in Poland. We investigated the incidence of respiratory tract infections in 26 HIV-infected children (aged 4-18, mean 10.3 years, including 17 girls) treated in our center and compared it with the age-matched control group of 70 children. The prevalence of chronic diseases and other factors such as cigarette smoking by household members or attending educational institutions were also taken into consideration. Among the HIV-infected children, 48 respiratory infections were observed, including 4 cases of pneumonia and 44 other respiratory infections for 312 person-month observations vs. 256 infections including 13 cases of pneumonia and 243 other respiratory infections for 840 person-month observations in the control group. Thus, incidence of respiratory infections per month was lower in HIV-infected children (14%) compared with the control group (29%), i.e., 0.14 95% CI (0.10-0.18) infections per month vs. 0.29 95% CI (0.26-0.32). There was no difference in the incidence of pneumonia. The lower incidence of respiratory infections in HIV-infected children may be explained by their avoiding sick people, taking influenza vaccination on the annual basis, and possibly antiviral medication. We conclude that the influence of modifiable environmental factors that reduce the risk of respiratory tract infections is more significant than the HIV infection itself.