Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a viral infection that causes progressive destruction of the body's disease-fighting white blood cells, eventually causing the onset of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Children who are born with HIV usually begin to show symptoms of disease within the first few years of life and may experience significant development and medical complications.
First Symptoms
According to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library (MMOML), 20 percent of children born with HIV who do not get treatment will begin to display symptoms during the first year of life, while the remaining 80 percent may not show symptoms until up to 3 years of age. The first symptoms that usually occur among children with HIV include recurring diarrhea, thrush (fungal infection in the mouth) and lung infections. Other children may show additional signs, such as constant or recurring episodes of bacterial infections of the ear (otitis media), sinuses (sinusitis) or lungs (pneumonia).
Other Mild to Moderate Symptoms
According to the Children's Hospital of Boston, additional mild to moderate symptoms may emerge in children with HIV who are older than 1 year in age, including swollen lymph nodes, a swelling of the parotid gland (salivary gland found in the front of the ear), itchy skin rash (dermatitis), persistent fever, chicken pox infections that also involve the digestive tract, oral thrush accompanied by painful lesions on the tongue and cheeks and a swollen spleen.
Developmental Delays
In many HIV-infected children, progressive brain damage interferes with normal physical and intellectual development, according to the MMOML. Many children will show delays in walking and talking, and their heads may physically be small in relation to the size of their bodies. As many as 20 percent of untreated children gradually lose social skills, language abilities and muscle control (including unsteadiness, rigid muscles or partial paralysis).
Anemia
HIV-infected children are at risk for developing anemia--a condition in which there are too few red cells in the bloodstream. Anemia can cause moderate symptoms of weakness and fatigue and, in approximately 20 percent of untreated children, can lead to life-threatening symptoms, such as racing heartbeat, arrhythmia or heart failure, according to the MMOML.
Lung-Related Problems
Untreated children with HIV are likely to have at least one episode of Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) by 15 months, according to the MMOML, and more than half will develop pneumonia at some point in their childhood if they do not receive drug treatment for HIV. Lung inflammation that causes problems breathing and bothersome cough is also common, affecting roughly one-third of all HIV-infected kids.
Severe and Uncommon Symptoms
Children whose HIV is not treated may develop rare but serious symptoms. According to the Children's Hospital of Boston, some children with HIV may develop two or more serious bacterial infections per year, including meningitis, PCP (Pneumocystis pneumonia) or blood infections. Swelling and damage to the brain (encephalopathy), hepatitis (liver inflammation) or nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys) may also occur, leading to life-threatening complications. Though extremely rare in children, Kaposi's sarcoma (an AIDS-related cancer), non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and lymphoma of the brain can develop.
