Predictors of Mucocutaneous Disorders in HIV-infected Children in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria

Background: Unindentified and untreated mucocutaneous disorders can lead to adverse consequences among HIV-infected children. These include physical discomfort, disfigurement , loss of school attendance, social stigma , low self esteem and depression

Aim: To determine the predictors of mucocutaneous disorders in HIV-infected children receiving care in two tertiary hospitals in Port Harcourt, Southern Nigeria.

Place and Duration of Study: the study was conducted over a six month period at the Pediatric infectious diseases clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) Port Harcourt.

Materials and Methods: It was a cross sectional study involving 372 HIV-infected children. Study participants were recruited by simple random sampling. Diagnosis of mucocutaneous disorders was based on clinical findings and relevant laboratory investigations.

Results: The prevalence of mucocutaneous disorders in the study subjects was 30.1% with Pruritic Papular Eruptions as the most occurring lesion. Factors predictive of the occurrence of mucocutaneous disorders in HIV-Infected-subjects included: low socio-economic status (p-value=0.048;AOR=1.81, 95% CI=1.01-3.24), sub-optimal adherence to HAART (p-value=0.008; AOR=2.72,95% CI=1.29-5.73), WHO clinical stages 3 and 4 (p-value=0.043;AOR=2.48,95% CI=1.03-5.97) and non viral suppression (p-value=0.0001; AOR=15.78, 95% CI=8.52-29.25).

Conclusion: The presence of these factors in a HIV-infected child indicates a need for prompt evaluation for mucocutaneous lesions so as to limit morbidity and mortality from these disorders.