Risk Factors, Clinical Features, Baseline Alanine Aminotransferase and CD4⁺ Count of Children with HIV Co-Infection with Hepatitis B and C at a Tertiary Hospital in Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B and C viruses are endemic in sub- Saharan African countries including Nigeria. Researchers have studied the burden of co-infection of HIV with hepatitis B and hepatitis C but the risk factors and clinical presentation have not been much addressed especially in children. Methodology: This was a prospective cross sectional study that determined the prevalence, risk factors, clinical features, baseline CD4 + count, CD4 + percentage, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of newly diagnosed, HAART na ? ve HIV co-infection among children who were managed at a Tertiary Hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria. Result: Of the 60 HIV- infected children recruited, 11.7% had HIV co-infection with HBV or HCV. Children with co-infec- tions (mean age 8.43 ± 2.37 years) were significantly older than their HIV mono-infected counterparts (mean age 5.25 ± 3.96 years) ( p = 0.011). There was no significant difference between HIV monoinfection and HIV co-infection with respect to gender ( p = 0.758), ethnicity ( p = 0.707), religion of parents (p = 0.436), family type ( p = 0.184), social class ( p = 0.535), previous transfusion ( p = 0.053), scarification ( p = 0.612), female genital mutilation ( p = 0.778), and sharing of clippers ( p = 0.806). The mean BMI, immunological staging ( p = 0.535), baseline ALT ( p = 0.940), and mean baseline CD4 + count ( p = 0.928) were comparable. However, the body mass index of HIV co-infec- ted children decreased with age up till age 10 years. Conclusion: There were no risk factors, nor clinical features predictive of co-infection identified in this study. Co-infection did not negatively impact baseline, CD4 + count and ALT.