Invasive pneumococcal disease among infected and uninfected children of mothers with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence and clinical presentation of invasive pneumococcal disease in a cohort of children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who were prospectively followed from birth, in comparison with uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers and control children.
DESIGN: Prospective follow-up of a cohort recruited at birth and born to mothers with known HIV status. The person-years analysis method used the occurrence of invasive pneumococcal disease as the end point.
SETTING: Hospital-based clinic specializing in care of HIV-at-risk and HIV-infected children in Baltimore, Md. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one vertically HIV-infected children, 128 uninfected children born to HIV-infected mothers, and 71 control children born to mothers with negative findings for HIV but with HIV risk factors.
RESULTS: Among HIV-infected children, 10 episodes of invasive pneumococcal disease occurred during the first 36 months of life compared with 4 episodes among uninfected children and 1 episode among control subjects. The relative risk for HIV-infected children versus the combined uninfected and control groups was 12.6 with a 95% confidence interval (5.4, 28.8) and a p value for difference between groups of < 0.001. The incidence rate per 100 child-years of observation during the first 36 months of life was 11.3 for HIV-infected, 1.1 for uninfected, and 0.5 for control children. Clinical and laboratory variables were not useful in identifying HIV-infected children at risk for pneumococcal disease.
CONCLUSION: Practical strategies to prevent pneumococcal disease among HIV-infected children need to be developed.