Long-Term Outcomes in Adolescents Perinatally

Background. Increasing numbers of children perinatally infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are reaching adolescence, largely because of advances in treatment over the past 10 years, but little is known about their current health status. We describe here the living conditions and clinical and immunovirologic outcomes at last evaluation among this pioneering generation of adolescents who were born before the introduction of pro-phylaxis for vertical transmission and whose infections were diagnosed at a time when treatment options were limited. Methods. The eligible population consisted of HIV-1–infected children who were born before December 1993 and who were included at birth in the prospective national French Perinatal Cohort (EPF/ANRS CO10). Results. Of the 348 eligible children, 210 (60%; median age, 15 years) were still alive and regularly followed up. Current treatment was highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 77 % and 2 nucleoside analogues in 5.0%; 16 % had stopped treatment, and 2 % had never been treated. The median CD4 cell count was 557 cells/mL, and 200 cells/mL was exceeded in 94 % of patients. The median viral load was 200 copies/mL. Viral load was undetectable in 43 % of the adolescents and in 54.5 % of those receiving HAART. Median height, weight, and body mass index were similar to French reference values for age, and school achievement was similar to nationwid