Characteristics of Anemia in Children with HIV Infection

Anemia is a hematologic complication commonly encountered in HIV patients. Although the severity of anemia is generally mild, anemia has been shown to be a strong risk factor for disease progression, particularly in HIV infected person. With different severity and types of anemia in HIV patients, it is necessary to identify the severity and type of anemia in HIV-infected children, thus helping to determine the prognosis and management of their anemia. The purpose of this study was to describe HIV patient staging infection, co-morbidities, and type of anemia in HIV-infected children based on their therapy. A descriptive quantitative research was conducted in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung. Data were collected from patients’ medical records diagnosed with HIV between 2015–2017. The severity of anemia was set according to World Health Organization standards in 2011 and the types of anemia were identified from the erythrocyte index on routine hematologic examination. Forty-seven of 73 children had anemia. Based on the severity of anemia, 26% mild anemia, 60% moderate anemia, and 15% severe anemia were found. Subsequently, hypochromic microcytic (40%), macrocytic (32%), and normocytic normochromic (28%) anemia were identified. Considering the direct and indirect mechanism to yield anemia in HIV-infected patients, this double sword symptom becomes the most common complication burdened the growth and development of HIV-infected children. This study made it even more pronounced