Pregnancies resulting in infants with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or AIDS-related complex: follow-up of mothers children and subsequently born siblings.

Although several 100 cases of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related complex (ARC) in infants have been reported there is little information available concerning the follow-up of mothers and these children or subsequently born children. 34 children with perinatally acquired AIDS and ARC (19 AIDS; 15 ARC) have been followed at the Downstate Medical Center in New York. Although no mother had AIDS or ARC during her pregnancy after an average follow-up (+or- SD) of 27.8 +or- 21.6 months 5 had AIDS and 10 had ARC. For 22 of the mothers T4/T8 ratios were obtained; 15 of these were less than 1 and 5 were between 1 and 1.5. Among 11 subsequently born siblings for whom HTLV-III antibody status was known 4 were positive; of these 2 had ARC and 1 had AIDS. We conclude that the diagnosis of AIDS or ARC in a child indicates a risk for the development of illness in the mother and subsequently born siblings. (authors modified)