How do children use HIV treatment?

CHIVA and PENTA websites give more information about children and HIV.www.chiva.org.uk and www.ctu.mrc.ac.uk/penta

The principles for treating children with HIV are very similar to those for treating adults. But, there are some important differences.

The immune system and drug absorption can be different in babies, toddlers, infants, children, adolescents and adults. This is why specialist paediatric HIV care is recommended at all ages.

CD4 counts are much higher for children than adults. A new-born baby for example can have a CD4 count that is 2-3,000 cells/mm³.

Because of this, children are monitored using CD4 percentage (CD4%). This is the percentage of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that are CD4 cells. The CD4% of an HIV-negative person is around 40%.

There are separate treatment guidelines for children. However, they tend to be updated less frequently than adult guidelines. It is therefore important to be aware of changes in adult care that may be just as relevant for children.

CD4 count and equivalent CD4% for babies and children by HIV disease category

HIV disease category	CD4%	CD4 0-12 months old	CD4 1-5 years old	CD4 6-12 years old
Category 1 - no damage	25% or over	over 1,500	over 1,000	over 500
Category 2 - moderate	15-24%	750-1,500	500-1,000	200-500
Category3 - severe	less than 15%	less than 750	less than 500	less than 200

This is the web edition of the i-Base guide Introduction to combination therapy. This guide is available in UK clinics. You can order free printed copies or download a PDF version (513 Kb). Translations. Authors and credits. Glossary. Full section index.

Decisions relating to your treatment should always be taken in consultation with your doctor. Information in this guide is intended to support those discussions.