Psych Symptoms Prevalent in Kids with HIV
“In a snapshot study of children and adolescents with HIV, about a third met criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder, researchers reported.
But there were only a few associations between psychiatric disorders with such HIV variables as viral load, and a clear picture did not emerge from those that were found, according to Sharon Nachman, MD, of Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., and colleagues.
‘We feel compelled to emphasize that findings were variable, mixed, and at times counterintuitive,’ Nachman and colleagues reported online in Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
There was also little evidence that specific anti-retroviral regimens – such as those containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) efavirenz (Sustiva) — were associated with psychiatric disorders, they reported.
The researchers recently found comparable levels of psychiatric symptoms in HIV-positive and HIV-negative adolescents, despite ‘higher rates of behavioral, educational, and pharmacological intervention’ for those with HIV.
The finding suggested that there might be links between behavioral disturbances and either the virus itself or the anti-retroviral drugs used to treat it, they noted – links that were masked by the various interventions.”
