Demographic & clinical profile of HIV infected children accessing care at Tambaram, Chennai, India.

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dc.contributor.authorRajasekaran, Sen_US
dc.contributor.authorJeyaseelan, Len_US
dc.contributor.authorRaja, Ken_US
dc.contributor.authorRavichandran, Nen_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-01-17en_US
dc.date.accessioned2009-05-27T06:43:38Z
dc.date.available2009-01-17en_US
dc.date.available2009-05-27T06:43:38Z
dc.date.issued2009-01-17en_US
dc.description.abstractBACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is severely affecting the poorly educated and economically disadvantaged in Indian society. When children start developing clinical manifestations, needing treatment, they have to travel long distances for accessing care and support at tertiary institutions. This places an extra burden on patients, who are already struggling to cope with their illness. Sufficient data are needed for the government to evolve appropriate policy for providing care to the children affected with HIV. We undertook this study to present the socio-demographic characteristics, signs and symptoms, clinical profile, distance travelled and follow up pattern of HIV positive children who accessed care for the first time in a referral hospital at Chennai, India. METHODS: Electronic medical records from patients diagnosed with HIV between 2002 and 2004 at the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (GHTM) in Tambaram (Chennai) in India were analyzed to understand care-seeking behaviours. Demographic variables such as age, sex, education and occupation, data on clinical manifestations were examined together with geographic information. RESULTS: At GHTM 1,768 new paediatric patients accessed care from 2002 to 2004. Children aged less than 5 yr were 49.9 per cent; 1115 children had (63%) tuberculosis. Significantly, 14.9 and 20.6 per cent children had extra-pulmonary TB and disseminated TB respectively. Lower respiratory infection (15.8%), Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (15.20%), oral/oesophageal candidiasis (13.5%), wasting (6.1%) and diarrhoeal disorders (3.5%) were the common clinical manifestations. In all 47 per cent children traveled between 200-400 km from home and 14 per cent travelled over 400 km. INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that tuberculosis should be regarded as the indicator disease for HIV infection in children, especially when they have clinical manifestations of progressive, non pulmonary and disseminated disease. The primary and secondary health care centres should have the trained capacity to diagnose and treat HIV disease and opportunistic infections so as the children to have much needed care and support nearer to their residence.en_US
dc.description.affiliationGovernment Hospital for Thoracic Medicine, Tambaram Sanatorium, Chennai, India. rajtbaids@gmail.comen_US
dc.identifier.citationRajasekaran S, Jeyaseelan L, Raja K, Ravichandran N. Demographic & clinical profile of HIV infected children accessing care at Tambaram, Chennai, India. Indian Journal of Medical Research. 2009 Jan; 129(1): 42-9en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/17633
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.source.urihttps://icmr.nic.in/ijmr/ijmr.htmen_US
dc.subject.meshAdolescent
dc.subject.meshAge Factors
dc.subject.meshChild
dc.subject.meshChild, Preschool
dc.subject.meshDemography
dc.subject.meshFemale
dc.subject.meshGeographic Information Systems
dc.subject.meshGeography
dc.subject.meshHIV Infections --complications
dc.subject.meshHIV Infections --epidemiology
dc.subject.meshHIV Infections --pathology
dc.subject.meshHealth Services Accessibility
dc.subject.meshHealth Status Indicators
dc.subject.meshHumans
dc.subject.meshIndia --epidemiology
dc.subject.meshMale
dc.subject.meshSex Factors
dc.subject.meshSocioeconomic Factors
dc.subject.meshTuberculosis --etiology
dc.titleDemographic & clinical profile of HIV infected children accessing care at Tambaram, Chennai, India.en_US
dc.typeJournal Articleen_US
dc.typeResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'ten_US
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