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Oral mucosal status and salivary I g A levels of HIV ‐infected children
Author(s) -
Subramaniam Priya,
Kumar Krishna
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/jop.12061
Subject(s) - saliva , immunology , medicine , immunoglobulin a , immunopathology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , antibody , immunoglobulin g
Background Pediatric HIV is a major world health problem, which is progressing at an alarming rate. Lesions in the mouth and in other tissues and organs (oral and systemic lesions) in pediatric HIV infection are diverse and show differences in clinical presentation and severity from that of adults. Very little data exist for oral lesions in pediatric population in India. To assess oral mucosal status of HIV ‐infected children and to correlate it with their salivary I g A levels. Methods The study group consisted of 150 HIV ‐infected children aged 6–18 years. They were divided into two groups. Group 1: Children prior to anti‐retroviral therapy, Group 2: Children undergoing anti‐retroviral therapy (for not more than 3 years). Criteria given by Ramos‐Gomez for diagnosis of oral lesions commonly associated with HIV infection in children were used to record the oral lesions. Salivary I g A levels were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. Results There was a significant difference in mean secretory I g A ( S Ig A ) levels between the groups ( P ≤ 0.05). All the children had one or more oral mucosal lesions, with angular cheilitis being the most common lesion. There was a significant inverse relation between SI g A levels and individual oral mucosal lesions ( P ≤ 0.05). The number of oral lesions was inversely related to the SI g A levels. Conclusion Oral mucosal lesions were a significant feature of HIV ‐infected infection, particularly in children prior to the onset of anti‐retroviral therapy. All children showed low SI g A levels. Early recognition and management of oral conditions are important to improve the quality of life in these children.