Open AccessDevelopmental outcomes of HIV-exposed infants in a low-income South African context
Author(s) -
Carmen Cornelia de Beer,
Esedra Krüger,
Jeannie van der Linde,
Renata Eccles,
Marien Alet Graham
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
african health sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.391
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1729-0503
pISSN - 1680-6905
DOI - 10.4314/ahs.v20i4.25
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , vineland adaptive behavior scale , medicine , population , child development , bayley scales of infant development , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , demography , gerontology , longitudinal study , pediatrics , developmental psychology , psychology , environmental health , psychiatry , adaptive behavior , psychomotor learning , cognition , immunology , pathology , paleontology , sociology , biology
Background Effective HIV transmission prevention strategies have led to a growing population of vulnerable HIV- and antiretroviral-exposed infants in sub-Saharan Africa, however uncertainty exists regarding their development. Objective To determine the developmental outcomes of HIV-exposed (HE) infants in a low-income South African context, when compared to HIV-unexposed (HU) counterparts. Methods In this prospective cross-sectional, group comparison study, the development of 41 HE and 40 HU infants (mean age=8.4 months, SD=2.1 months) from a low-income context was assessed. Caregivers were interviewed using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3) to evaluate infants' development. Results Most HE participants had age-appropriate overall development (90.2%;n=37). Some HE participants, however, presented with delays in domains of communication (9.8%;n=4), daily living skills (2.4%;n=1), socialisation (19.5%;n=8), and motor development (7.3%;n=3). HU participants also demonstrated some domain-specific delays, thus delays were present in both groups. No statistically significant between-group differences regarding development were found. Conclusion Findings were reassuring and suggested that HE and HU participants had similar development. Developmental differences may, however, only emerge with age, therefore large-scale longitudinal research is recommended. It is suggested that the entire sample was vulnerable, highlighting the importance of developmental surveillance in low-income contexts, irrespective of HIV and antiretroviral exposure status.