Determinants of Disclosure, Adherence and Viral Suppression in Children and Adolescents Living With HIV in Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Studies on HIV disclosure and adherence among children performed in Latin America are anecdotal. We aimed to assess the factors associated with HIV disclosure, adherence and viral suppression among Ecuadorian children and compare the psychologic consequences and the impact on adherence and viral suppression of early against late disclosure age. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using a questionnaire and collected data on medical records of HIV-infected children between 6 and 21 years of age in Ecuador. RESULTS: In 250 children included, HIV diagnosis was revealed at a median age of 11 years (p25-p75 9-12). Children 12 years old or older (P < 0.0001), 10 or more years since HIV diagnosis (P = 0.001), antiretroviral initiation above 3 years of age (P = 0.018) and decease of the mother (P = 0.048) were significantly associated with total disclosure in multivariate analysis. Profound sadness or anxiety was significantly more common when diagnosis was disclosed after 12 years of age (28.4%) than before (15.4%, P = 0.047). According to the simplified medication adherence questionnaire, 194 children (78.2%) were adherent to antiretroviral therapy and HIV-RNA viral load was undetectable in 168 (67.7%). In multivariate analysis, variables associated with nonadherence were age ≥14 years (P < 0.001), taking ≥3 daily antiretroviral pills (P = 0.013) and the presence of adverse effects (P < 0.001), whereas nonadherence (P = 0.001) was the only variable significantly associated with an unsuppressed HIV-RNA viral load. CONCLUSIONS: Although we failed to show that an earlier disclosure age is followed by better adherence outcomes, psychological outcomes did seem to improve, supporting disclosure before 12 years of age.

Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis in children living with HIV: a case series study.

Progressive disseminated histoplasmosis (PDH) is thought to be on the top of the list of AIDS-defining illnesses in South America. Reported experience in children is very scarce. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of children living with HIV presenting with PDH in Ecuador. We did a retrospective study using collected data on medical records of children living with HIV attended in Francisco Icaza Bustamante Children's Hospital (Guayaquil) between 1997 and 2019. The inclusion criteria consisted of patients under 18 years of age at admission with documented HIV infection and laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of PDH. Twenty-four children living with HIV were attended due to laboratory-confirmed PDH. Median CD4 cell count was 39 cells/mm³ (p25-p75 21-155) between 1 and 5 years and 22 cells/mm³ (p25-p75 10-57) for those aged 6 years and over. Fever (96%) was the most common clinical manifestation, followed by hepatomegaly (75%), cough (67%), weight loss (63%), diarrhea (63%), and abdominal distension (58%). Most significant laboratory findings were hypoalbuminemia (90%), hypertransaminasemia (78%), and pancytopenia (46%). Intravenous treatment with amphotericin B deoxycholate was started in all but one case in which diagnosis was postmortem. All these 23 patients were discharged after being hospitalized for a median of 68 days (p25-p75 48-90). Two children showed relapse during follow-up, one of whom died during the hospitalization of this second episode of PDH.Conclusion: Clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of PDH in children living with HIV seem similar to those seen in adults, and low CD4 cell count appears to be the most important risk factor. What is Known: • Since 1987, progressive disseminated histoplasmosis has been considered an AIDS-defining illness and, although underdiagnosis is frequent, is thought to be on the top of the list of AIDS-defining illnesses in South America. • Reported experience in children is very scarce. What is New: • Clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of progressive disseminated histoplasmosis in children living with HIV seem similar to those seen in adults. • Low CD4 cell count to be the most important risk factor.

Long-Term Outcomes of Infants with Congenital Zika Virus Infection in Ecuador: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study.

BACKGROUND: Few congenital Zika syndrome (CZS) cases have been notified in Ecuador and, to our knowledge, there are no significant published studies dealing with their clinical evolution. We present a detailed clinical characterization of 21 children with congenital Zika virus (ZIKV) infection born in Ecuador who were followed up until September 2019. METHODS: We did a retrospective longitudinal study of children attended by the infectious disease specialists of Francisco Icaza Bustamante Children's Hospital (Guayaquil) due to congenital ZIKV infection suspicion. The inclusion criteria consisted of laboratory confirmed diagnosis of congenital ZIKV infection. RESULTS: Sixteen of these 21 cases of congenital ZIKV infection showed clinical, neuroimaging and laboratory findings strongly suggestive of CZS and 5 children showed laboratory findings compatible with congenital ZIKV infection without congenital manifestations associated to CZS. All children with CZS showed neurodevelopmental delay, spasticity and hyperreflexia during follow-up, whereas the majority of them (14/15) experienced recurrent epileptic seizures and dysphagia (12/13). Two CZS cases died during follow-up. Visual evoked potential and hearing screening with acoustically evoked auditory brainstem response were abnormal in 50% and 37.5% of CZS cases, respectively. Congenital ZIKV infection without findings consistent with CZS at birth was not clinically relevant at 23 months of age in the five cases of our cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Severe neurodevelopmental delay, severe microcephaly, epileptic seizures and dysphagia were present at 2 years of age in most CZS cases of our cohort.

Colistina intraventricular en infección postoperatoria por Pseudomonas aeruginosa multiresistente:Reporte de un caso / Intraventricular Colistin in postoperative infection by resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Report of a pediatric case.

Introducción: El surgimiento de bacterias Gram negativas multirresistentes y la aparición de infecciones post quirúrgicas, ha representado un desafío en el manejo antimicrobiano. Las características estructurales de estas bacterias, la formación de biofilms en los dispositivos internos y la presencia de infecciones en órganos de difícil acceso antimicrobiano como el sistema nervioso central, ha obligado a retomar el uso de antibióticos como Colistina por vías de administración poco utilizadas. Caso clínico: Presentamos el caso clínico de un paciente de 2 años de edad con meningo-ventriculitis postquirúrgica causada por Pseudomonas aeruginosa multirresistente manejado con tratamiento combinado de Colistina intraventricular e intravenoso, resultando en éxito terapéutico para el paciente. No se reportó ninguna reacción adversa a la medicación local ni sistémica. Tampoco se reportó recaídas infecciosas posterior al alta. Conclusiones: Los aspectos claves en el manejo de este tipo de infecciones deben ser consideradas: eliminación de la derivación ventrículo peritoneal infectada, óptima cobertura antimicrobiana y elección de la vía de administración más efectiva.

Introduction: The emergence of multi-resistant Gram-negative bacteria and the emergence of post-operative infections has represented a challenge in antimicrobial management. The structural characteristics of these bacteria, the formation of biofilms in internal devices and the presence of infections in organs of difficult antimicrobial access such as the central nervous system, has forced to consider the use of antibiotics such as Colistine through little-used administration routes. Clinical case: We present the clinical case of a 2-year-old patient with post-surgical meningo-ventriculitis caused by multiresistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa managed with combined treatment of intraventricular and intravenous Colistin, resulting in therapeutic success for the patient. No adverse reaction to local or systemic medication was reported. No infectious relapses were reported after discharge. Conclusions: The key aspects in the management of this type of infection have been considered: elimination of the infected peritoneal ventricle derivation, optimal antimicrobial coverage and choice of the most effective route of administration.