Allergic diseases in subjects under 18 years living with HIV

In recent decades there has been an increase in the prevalence of allergic disease. Manifestations of these diseases have allegedly been observed in people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), however, few studies have been directed at patients under 18 years old. In this context, the

There was a high prevalence of reported allergic disease, as well as a high frequency of raised levels of total serum IgE. The association between CD8+ cell count and the prevalence of symptomatic allergic disease corroborates studies that demonstrated the role of such cells in the development of allergic disease.

This is a cross-sectional epidemiological study involving patients under 18 years of age who were followed up by specialized HIV services in the Southern Region of the State of Santa Catarina, Brazil, from February to October 2012. Data collection tools included a questionnaire established by the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Childhood (ISAAC), socio-demographic data, as well as laboratory test

29 individuals were evaluated. The prevalence of symptoms of allergic disease was 65.5% (95% CI 56.1-74.8), the most frequent being rhinitis 44.8% (95% CI 35.0-54.5), followed by asthma 37.9% (95% CI 28.3-47.4) and eczema 27.6% (95% CI 18.8-36.3). RAST was positive in 20.7% of the individuals. There was no significant difference in terms of total serum IgE between individuals with and without symptoms of allergic disease. Nevertheless, a high frequency of raised levels of total serum IgE (40.7%) and an association between raised IgE and clinical staging of disease were observed. A further association between CD8+ cell count and prevalence of symptomatic allergic disease (p = 0.014) was observed.