Abstract
OBJECTIVE:: The main objective of this study was, on a national level, to investigate the risk of in-hospital admissions and use of antibiotics during the first 4 years of life among HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children compared with a matched control group of HIV-unexposed children.
DESIGN: A nationwide register-based cohort study.
METHODS: All HEU children born in Denmark from 2000 to 2012 were individually matched to five HIV-unexposed controls. Outcomes were risk of hospital admission (any, because of an infectious disease, observation/nonspecific diagnosis) and use of antibiotics during the first 4 years of life. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated using Poisson regression analysis.
RESULTS: In total, 317 HEU children and 1581 matched controls were included. HEU children had a three-fold increased risk of overall admissions {incidence rate ratio (IRR) 3.49 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.98-4.08]}. There was no difference in risk of admission because of infectious diseases [IRR 1.11 (95% CI 0.73-1.70)] and no difference in use of antibiotics [IRR 0.88 (95% CI 0.73-1.04)]. The excess risk per 100 person-years of admission was primarily caused by an increased risk of admission because of observation/nonspecific diagnosis [excess incidence rate 22.6 (95% CI 18.2-27.0), IRR 6.06 (95% CI 4.84-7.61)].
CONCLUSION: HEU children had an increased risk of overall hospital admission mainly due to an increased risk of admission because of observation/nonspecific diagnosis. There was no increased risk of admission due to infectious disease. The excess risk of admission among HEU may be related to prophylactic treatment and/or HIV testing rather than somatic disease related to HIV or exposure to antiretroviral therapy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | AIDS |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 17 |
| Pages (from-to) | 2697-2706 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| ISSN | 0269-9370 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 13 Nov 2016 |
Keywords
- Journal Article
