To study the natural history of the neurological involvement in pediatric human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, 77 children born to seropositive mothers have been followed up since birth. The median follow-up time has been 17.5 months. Fourteen children were classified as infected, 34 as not infected, and 21 as indeterminable. Only two children with full-blown acute immune deficiency syndrome had severe neurological manifestations. "Soft" neurological signs were found in six infected, and ten non-infected children (chi 2, P < 0.05). The mean development quotient and IQ scores in the infected and the non-infected children were 82.22, and 93.15, respectively (Mann-Whitney test, P > 0.05). These data suggest that neurological and developmental abnormalities do not occur early in the course of vertical HIV infection and that they are associated with severe immunodeficiency.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.