Outcome of anti-retroviral treatment in HIV- infected orphans and non-orphans at an ART centre in North India

Background: Few Indian studies have reported the long-term efficacy of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) in children and in orphaned, HIV-infected children in particular. Aim: To study differences in outcome of ART in HIV-infected orphans compared with non-orphans. Methods: A retrospective study of 87 HIV-infected children who commenced ART in the period January 2006 to August 2007. The main measures were orphan status, absolute CD4 count and weight-for-height (WHZ) and height-for-age (HAZ) Z-scores. Results: Median follow-up was 33 months. Forty (45·9%) children were orphaned. Orphans and non-orphans had similar baseline median WHZ and HAZ (−2·48 vs −2·63, P = 0·65 and −2·78 vs −2·91, P = 0·77, respectively). The two groups were similar in terms of WHO clinical stage and frequency of severe immunosuppression at presentation (P = 0·88 and 0·25, respectively). After ART initiation, the median absolute CD4 count increased progressively in both groups. Median WHZ and HAZ increased throughout the study period i...