How do children use HIV treatment?
The principles for treating children with HIV are very similar to those for treating adults. However, 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 for children of all ages.
CD4 counts are higher in children than adults. A new-born baby, for example, can have a CD4 count that is 3000 cells/mm3. Because of this, children are usually monitored using CD4 percentage (CD4%).
This is the percentage of white blood cells (lymphocytes) that are CD4 cells.
- The CD4% of an HIV-negative adult is around 40%.
- A CD4% of 12-15% is similar to a CD4 count of about 200 in an adult
- A CD4% of 22% is about 350 and 25-30% is about 500
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.
For more information about children and HIV, visit the Children with HIV Association (CHIVA) and PENTA websites: