RESUMEN
This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic value of WHO clinical staging system in HIV-infected children and adolescents in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. WHO clinical stages were evaluated for risk of disease progression in 335 patients admitted from 1989 to 2003. In Kaplan-Meier analysis, age, clinical stage, CD4% <15% and viral load >5 log(10) were statistically significant. In Cox proportional hazards model, the relative risk of disease progression for Stage 4 at admission and in the worst moment were 3.47 [confidence interval (CI) 95% CI = 1.92-6.26] and 2.89 (95% CI = 1.44-5.79). Stages 2 and 3 were neutral as predictors of risk either of disease progression. CD4% <15% and viral load > 5 log(10) remained statistically significant in multivariate analysis. WHO clinical Stage 4 was a good predictor of risk of progression in this cohort. The findings support WHO proposition to start antiretroviral treatment for patients at a more advanced clinical stage.