Butler K
J Intraven Nurs. 1991 May-Jun;14(3 Suppl P):S13-24.
AIDS is one of the leading causes of death in children. Although children of all ethnic groups are affected, there is an overrepresentation of cases among minority children. Most cases of pediatric HIV infection are acquired by vertical transmission of infection from mother to infant. Factors that appear to increase the risk of vertical transmission include an advanced stage of maternal disease and absence of maternal gp120 antibody. Progression of the disease is more rapid in vertically infected children than in adults. In children older than 15 months of age, as in adults, diagnosis of infection is usually made when HIV antibody is detected in the serum. In children younger than 15 months, this is not reliable because the presence of maternal antibody can result in a positive antibody test. While pharmacotherapy for pediatric AIDS patients is similar to that for adults, care must be taken when considering dosage and route of administration.
艾滋病是儿童主要死因之一。尽管所有种族的儿童都会受到影响，但少数族裔儿童的病例比例过高。大多数儿童HIV感染病例是通过母婴垂直传播获得的。似乎会增加垂直传播风险的因素包括母亲疾病的晚期阶段以及母亲gp120抗体的缺失。与成人相比，垂直感染儿童的疾病进展更快。在15个月以上的儿童中，与成人一样，通常在血清中检测到HIV抗体时诊断感染。在15个月以下的儿童中，这并不可靠，因为母体抗体的存在可能导致抗体检测呈阳性。虽然儿童艾滋病患者的药物治疗与成人相似，但在考虑剂量和给药途径时必须谨慎。
