Prevalence of orphans among HIV infected children--a preliminary study from a pediatric HIV centre in Western India

Profile of HIV and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in orphans living in orphanages in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Aims:

The aim was to study the clinical profile of HIV-infected orphans living in orphanages in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India and determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) in them.

Materials and Methods:

Seventy-four HIV-infected orphans from two orphanages (orphanage A taking antiretroviral therapy [ART] as per our prescription, whereas orphanage B taking ART from an ART center) were included in the study. Detailed history and examination was carried out in each patient. CDC class prior to ART, age at presentation, CD4 count/percent, opportunistic infections (OIs) prior to and after ART, co-infections with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus, growth, ART regimes, and treatment failure were noted in each patient.

Results:

Of 18 HIV-infected children in orphanage A, boys constituted 11 (61.1%) and girls were 7 (38.9%), whereas orphanage B had all girls (n = 56). TB was the most common OI in orphanage A prior to the start of ART seen in 15 (83.3%), whereas it was seen in 18 (32.1%) in orphanage B. In contrast, TB was seen in eight (14.2%) orphans in orphanage B after the start of ART, of which two (3.5%) were MDR-TB and another two (3.5%) were suspected to have MDR-TB, whereas one (5.5%) in orphanage A had MDR-TB. Age of presentation was 4.7 ± 3.2 years for orphanage A and 12.9 ± 2.5 years for orphanage B. On ART, malnutrition was seen in one child in orphanage A as compared to nine in orphanage B. ART was started at 6.1 ± 3.1 years in orphanage A and 10.1 ± 2.8 years in orphanage B. Zidovudine, lamivudine (3TC), and nevirapine (NVP)/efavirenz (EFV) constituted the baseline ART regimen in 13 (72.1%) orphans in orphanage A, whereas stavudine (d4T) + 3TC + NVP constituted the baseline ART in 17 (30.3%) orphans in orphanage B. Three (5.3%) orphans had HBV co-infection in orphanage B.

Conclusion:

Children in orphanage A came to us at a younger age, in more advanced stage of disease, and were more malnourished. Orphanage A was started on ART earlier in life. The prevalence of TB was higher in orphanage A prior to ART. MDR-TB was seen in both orphanages, with prevalence ranging from 3.5% to 5.5%.

A comparative assessment of generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problems among AIDS and other orphaned children in India

BACKGROUND

Data on mental health among orphaned children in India are scanty. We compared the generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problems and their associated risk factors among children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and those due to other reasons in the Indian city of Hyderabad.

METHODS

Four hundred orphaned children aged 12 to 16 years residing in orphanages in Hyderabad were sampled, half being AIDS orphans (COA) and the rest orphaned due to other reasons (COO). Interviews were done using standardized scales to assess generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problems. A score >8, >4, and >5 was considered as indicator of generalized anxiety, conduct problem and peer relationship problem, respectively. Variations in the intensity of these three conditions due to possible factors including co-existing depression were assessed using multiple classification analysis (MCA).

RESULTS

A total of 396 (99.3 %) orphans participated of whom 199 (50.3 %) were COA. The mean generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problem scores were 11.1 (SD 5.2), 3.8 (SD 2.5) and 3.8 (SD 2.5) for COA; and 7.6 (SD 4), 2.6 (SD 2) and 2.3 (SD 1.8) for COO, respectively. Among COA, the prevalence of generalized anxiety score of >8 was 74.4 % (95 % CI 67.8-80.0 %), of conduct problem score of >4 was 33.2 % (95 % CI 26.9-40.1 %), and of peer relationship problem score of >5 was 27.6 %, (95 % CI 21.8-34.3 %), with these being significantly lower in COO. In MCA, a higher mean depression score had the highest effect on the intensity of generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problem (Beta 0.477; 0.379 and 0.453 respectively); being COA and a girl had the most impact on generalized anxiety (0.100 and 0.115, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

A significantly high proportion of AIDS orphans deal with generalized anxiety, conduct and peer relationship problem as compared with other orphans highlighting the need to address the poor mental health of orphans in India.

"Now What?" to "So What!": Journey with Perinatally HIV Infected Adolescents Transitioning to Adulthood

Adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV) struggle with questions pertaining to their future; contemplating "Now what?" The authors, a nongovernmental organization from India, designed residential workshops for ALHIV to provide them the space to share concerns and draw support from peers. This increased their self-belief and agency, induced voluntarism, and resulted in formation of a support group, "So What!" The members volunteered in planning a similar workshop for their peers and also shared their experiences of disclosure in the form of a booklet. Active involvement of ALHIV could be a key strategy to address the needs of ALHIV.

Outcome of anti-retroviral treatment in HIV-infected orphans and non-orphans at an ART centre in North India

BACKGROUND

Few Indian studies have reported the long-term efficacy of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in children and in orphaned, HIV-infected children in particular.

AIM

To study differences in outcome of ART in HIV-infected orphans compared with non-orphans.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 87 HIV-infected children who commenced ART in the period January 2006 to August 2007. The main measures were orphan status, absolute CD4 count and weight-for-height (WHZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 33 months. Forty (45·9%) children were orphaned. Orphans and non-orphans had similar baseline median WHZ and HAZ (-2·48 vs -2·63, P = 0·65 and -2·78 vs -2·91, P = 0·77, respectively). The two groups were similar in terms of WHO clinical stage and frequency of severe immunosuppression at presentation (P = 0·88 and 0·25, respectively). After ART initiation, the median absolute CD4 count increased progressively in both groups. Median WHZ and HAZ increased throughout the study period in the orphans and reached -1 at 27 and 39 months of ART, respectively. In the non-orphans, WHZ remained below that of the orphan group, the difference becoming statistically significant from 18 months of ART. The increment in HAZ in the non-orphan group was at par with the orphan group until 12 months of follow-up, after which it fell between 18 and 30 months. Subsequently, HAZ rose but remained below that of the orphan group. Both WHZ and HAZ failed to reach -1 in the non-orphan group. In both groups, 85% reported 100% adherence to ART.

CONCLUSION

The outcome of ART is not affected by orphan status with the extended family adequately supporting orphaned children. Growth of children whose parents are HIV-infected may be constrained despite ART if there is inadequate family support.

Gender differences, routes of transmission, socio-demographic characteristics and prevalence of HIV related infections of adults and children in an HIV cohort from a rural district of India

Despite 67% of HIV infected people in India are rural residents, the epidemiology of HIV in rural areas is not well known. This is an observational cohort study of 11,040 HIV infected people living in a rural district of India. The prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis of HIV infected patients were compared to the seroprevalence in 16,641 blood donors from the same area. The age of diagnosis in adults was below 35 years in 70% of cases and 56% were illiterate. One third of women were widows and only 3.6% of adults had a permanent job. Women were diagnosed at earlier age, had lower level of education, had poorer employment conditions and depended more on their relatives than men. In a survey performed to a subgroup of patients, 81% of women referred to have acquired HIV from their spouse, whereas 51% of men acquired HIV from commercial sex. Patients with HIV had significantly higher prevalence of hepatitis B, hepatitis C and syphilis than blood donors. Seroprevalence of HIV-2, hepatitis C and toxoplasmosis were low compared to other sites. Six percent were children (<15 years) and almost half of them had lost one or both of their parents. The study shows the poor socio-economical situation and the high level of illiteracy of people living with HIV in rural India, especially women. Future health programmes of HIV in India should take into account the particularities of the HIV epidemic in rural areas.

Determinants of alcohol use, risky sexual behavior and sexual health problems among men in low income communities of Mumbai, India

This paper summarizes the main results of the survey component of a mixed methods study of alcohol and sexual risk in a general population of young men 18-29 residing in low income communities in the Greater Mumbai area. The survey included demographic variables, and scales and indices measuring work related stress, social influence, exposure to alcohol in childhood, and currently, hyper masculinity, exposure to media and pornography, risk related leisure time activities and alcohol and alcohol/sex expectancies. Measures of alcohol use included frequency/amount/contextual use of six different types of alcohol, a general estimate of frequency and amount (AUDIT), and an estimate of total ml. alcohol consumed in the past 30 days, based on estimates of alcohol content in all types of alcohol consumed, by unit of consumption (glass, peg, bottle) etc. Sexual outcome measures included types and number of partners ever and in past year with and without alcohol, and a critical event with most recent partner (with or without alcohol) and culturally specific indicators of sexual health related to sexual risk taking. A cluster sampling protocol and the use of a screener produced a sample of 1239 men, 1071 thirty day drinkers and 161 nondrinkers. Logistic regression analysis (binary and multinomial) showed relationships between predictor variables and alcohol consumption and alcohol and sexual risk indicators as well as two of the sexual health indicators associated with extramarital sex. Risk behaviors are associated with higher levels of alcohol consumption in this low risk general population of married and unmarried men. Implications for intervention include: (a) reducing or eliminating home drinking, to reduce early childhood exposure; (b) including alcohol in sexual risk and HIV prevention programs; (c) improving couples (married or unmarried) communication to reduce men's search for sexual alternatives, and (d) treating garmi as an indicator of sexual risk taking rather than STIs.

Demographic and clinical features of orphans and nonorphans at a pediatric HIV centre in North India

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of orphanhood among HIV positive children and to compare their social and demographic and clinical characteristics with that of HIV-positive non-orphans.

METHODS

From February 2008 through March 2009, data was collected from 148 children registered at the antiretroviral (ART) clinic of a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, on their demographic profile, HIV status of parents, orphan status and cause of parental death, mode of transmission of the infection, current caregiver, school enrollment and clinical and immunologic parameters of HIV infection at presentation.

RESULTS

The prevalence of orphanhood was 49.3%. Majority of the orphans were paternal orphans. The primary caregiver was either the surviving parent or extended family members. The orphans were older at presentation and had shorter mean duration of follow-up. They lagged behind the non-orphans in immunisation, nutritional status, school enrollment and attendance and socioeconomic status. They presented more frequently with severe immunosuppression and had a higher prevalence of opportunistic infections. There was no significant difference between the orphans and the non-orphans in the WHO clinical stage of presentation and adherence to ART.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of orphanhood among the HIV-positive children is high. Although extended family is a cornerstone for care of HIV-positive orphans, these families are overwhelmed by the added responsibility of these children. Larger community-based studies are needed to determine the true magnitude of orphanhood and to evolve methods to socially and financially support the families taking care of these children.

Verbal autopsy: methods in transition

Understanding of global health and changing morbidity and mortality is limited by inadequate measurement of population health. With fewer than one-third of deaths worldwide being assigned a cause, this long-standing dearth of information, almost exclusively in the world's poorest countries, hinders understanding of population health and limits opportunities for planning, monitoring, and evaluating interventions. In the absence of routine death registration, verbal autopsy (VA) methods are used to derive probable causes of death. Much effort has been put into refining the approach for specific purposes; however, there has been a lack of harmony regarding such efforts. Subsequently, a variety of methods and principles have been developed, often focusing on a single aspect of VA, and the resulting literature provides an inconsistent picture. By reviewing methodological and conceptual issues in VA, it is evident that VA cannot be reduced to a single one-size-fits-all tool. VA must be contextualized; given the lack of "gold standards," methodological developments should not be considered in terms of absolute validity but rather in terms of consistency, comparability, and adequacy for the intended purpose. There is an urgent need for clarified thinking about the overall objectives of population-level cause-of-death measurement and harmonized efforts in empirical methodological research.

HIV and mental health: An overview of research from India

HIV/AIDS has gained prominence in India as a growing public health issue. There is a complex but significant interaction between mental health and HIV/AIDS. HIV affects mental health by its direct neurobiological action, the impact of having the illness, by its treatment including that for opportunistic infections and by its impact on the family. In addition, substance use and mental illness as vulnerability factors add to the complexity of assessment, differential diagnosis and management. This paper reviews literature published in India on the topic.