Effects of congenital HIV infection on neurodevelopmental status of babies in foster care.

High rates of neurological complications related to congenital HIV infection have been reported, but often it has been difficult to delineate those clinical impairments specifically related to viral infection of the developing nervous system. The present study attempted to hold causative environmental factors constant by comparing the neurodevelopmental and growth status of two matched control groups of infants in foster care, one HIV seronegative and one seropositive. All were over the age of 15 months and had been born to seropositive mothers. The seropositive group showed significantly more neurological involvement than the seronegative group, and a different pattern of cognitive deficits. There were no significant differences in growth measures between the two groups. Babies born to HIV seropositive mothers were generally at high risk for developmental impairments.