Causes of morbidity among HIV-infected children on antiretroviral therapy in primary care facilities in Lusaka, Zambia

Objectives To describe the pattern of incident illness in children after initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a large public health sector programme in Lusaka, Zambia. Methods Systematic chart review to retrospectively extract data from medical records of children (i.e. <15 years) initiating ART in the Lusaka, Zambia public sector. Incident conditions were listed separately and then grouped according to broad categories. Predictors for incident diagnoses were determined using univariate and multivariable analysis. Results Between May 2004 and June 2006, 1705 HIV-infected children initiated ART. Of these, 1235 (72%) had their medical records reviewed. Median age at ART initiation was 77 months and 554 (45%) were females. Eight hundred and forty-one (68%) children had an incident condition during this period, with a median time of occurrence of 64 days from ART initiation. Twenty-eight incident conditions were documented. When categorized, the most common were mucocutaneous conditions [incidence rate (IR): 70.6 per 100 child-years, 95% CI: 64.5-77.2] and upper respiratory tract infection (IR: 70.1 per 100 child-years; 95% CI: 64.0-76.7). Children with severe immunosuppression (i.e. CD4 < 10%) were more likely to develop lower respiratory tract infection (16.3%vs. 10.2%; P = 0.003) and mucocutaneous conditions (43.9% vs. 35.3%; P = 0.005) than those with CD4 ≥ 10%. Conclusion There is a high incidence of new illness after ART initiation, emphasizing the importance of close monitoring during this period. Early initiation of ART and use of antimicrobial prophylaxis may also help to reduce the occurrence of such co-morbidities. © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.