Increased risk of asthma and atopic dermatitis in perinatally HIV-infected children and adolescents.

The incidence of asthma and atopic dermatitis (AD) was evaluated in HIV-infected (n=451) compared to HIV-exposed (n=227) but uninfected (HEU) children and adolescents by abstraction from clinical charts. Asthma was more common in HIV-infected compared to HEU children by clinical diagnosis (25% vs. 20%, p=0.101), by asthma medication use, (31% vs. 22%, p=0.012), and by clinical diagnosis and/or medication use, (34% vs. 25%, p=0.012). HIV-infected children had a greater risk of asthma compared to HEU children (HR=1.37, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.86). AD was more common in HIV-infected than HEU children (20% vs. 12%, p=0.009)) and children with AD were more likely to have asthma in both cohorts (41% vs. 29%, p=0.010). HIV-infected children and adolescents in this study had an increased incidence of asthma and AD, a finding critical for millions of HIV-infected children worldwide.