PEDIATRICS Vol. 106 No. 6 December 2000, p. e76
ELECTRONIC ARTICLE:
Predicting HIV Disease Progression in Children Using Measures of
Neuropsychological and Neurological Functioning
Received Feb 14, 2000; accepted Jun 20, 2000.
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From the * Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas; Center
for Biostatistics in AIDS Research, Harvard School of Public Health,
Cambridge, Massachusetts; § Department of Pediatrics, Bronx Lebanon
Hospital Center, Bronx, New York; Department of Neurosciences,
University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California; and the
Departments of ¶ Pediatrics and # Microbiology and Immunology, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
Background. Neuropsychological testing and 2 measures of neurological status, cortical atrophy, and motor dysfunction were assessed for their usefulness in predicting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease progression in infants, children, and adolescents who participated in Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 152 (PACTG 152).
Methods. A cohort of 722 antiretroviral therapy-naive children with symptomatic HIV infection were assessed at study entry and at later intervals. Assessments included neurodevelopmental testing, neuroradiologic imaging, and neurological examination of motor function. CD4 cell count and plasma RNA viral load also were measured.
Results. Children with the lowest neuropsychological functioning (IQ < 70) at baseline had the highest risk for later HIV disease progression (56%), compared with those with borderline/low (IQ = 70-89) functioning (26%), or with average or above (IQ > 90) functioning (18%). This was also true of week 48 neuropsychological functioning. Motor dysfunction (especially reduced muscle mass) at entry also predicted disease progression. Furthermore, motor dysfunction and week 48 neuropsychological functioning provided predictive information beyond that obtainable from surrogate markers of HIV disease status (eg, CD4 count, HIV RNA level). Children with cortical atrophy also were at higher risk for later disease progression, but when CD4 count and RNA viral load were known, cortical atrophy information provided no additional predictive information.
Conclusions. Measures of neuropsychological and motor function status provide unique information regarding pediatric HIV disease progression. As such, these findings have important implications for predicting long-term outcomes (eg, longevity) in pediatric patients. Key words: human immunodeficiency virus, children, neuropsychology, cognitive, development, cortical atrophy, motor function.
