Impacts of HIV infection in severely acute malnourished children hospitalized in an urban commune in the district of Bamako

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition is a major public health problem in the Sahel. Its main causes are inadequate food intake and recurrent infections often favored by immunodeficiency due to HIV. The aim of this study was to know the impact of HIV / AIDS infection in children hospitalized for severe acute malnutrition. Materials and methods: This was a prospective study carried out at URENI of the Reference Health Center of Commune V of Bamako between January 1 and December 31, 2017. All the children admitted to the hospital were included. recovery and nutritional education unit of the CSRef whose parents agreed to participate in the study. The parameters studied were: socio-demographic characteristics (age, sex, residence, level of education and profession of parents, etc.) and clinical characteristics (pathological history, serological status, clinical condition, length of stay in hospital, etc.). Results: Out of 200 of the children, 27 had a positive HIV serology, ie a prevalence of 13.5%. Children from 0 to 12 months were in the majority (51%) with a sex ratio of 1.33. HIV infection was more common in children whose fathers had an intermediate level of education (p = 0.0001). Thirty-three percent (33%) of infected children were at their second hospitalization P = (0.010). Marasmus was the most common clinical form of malnutrition 82%. Severe deterioration of general condition was common in children with HIV (78%) with (p = 0.010). The mean hospital stay (7.14 ± 3.15 days) did not depend on serological status (P = 0.763). HIV infection increased the risk of death from URENI, 22% compared to 5% in uninfected children (P = 0.007). Conclusion HIV infection increases the frequency of hospitalizations and the risk of death at URENI.