Clinical, virological and immunological features of HIV-positive children internationally adopted in France from 2005-2015

OBJECTIVE(S): To describe the clinical, virological and immune characteristics of internationally adopted children on arrival in France and after 6-months follow-up. DESIGN: Multicenter retrospective study. METHODS: 30 centers from 24 cities were asked to include, after informed consent, HIV+ children living in France and internationally adopted between 1(st) Jan 2005 and 1(st) Jan 2015. Sociodemographic, medical and biological variables collected during the first medical evaluation in France and 6 months later were analyzed. RESULTS: 41 HIV+ adoptees were included (female: 56%; median age: 3.91 years) in 14 centers. Adoptees tend to represent an increasing part of newly diagnosed HIV positive children over the years. The majority came from East-Asia. At arrival, one child was diagnosed with lymphobronchial tuberculosis and three with latent chronic hepatitis B, cleared HBV infection and chronic active hepatitis C, respectively. The mean CD4% was 32.8 ± 9% (range: 13–49%). The 34 children (83%) have been initiated on treatment from their countries of origin. Of these, 25 (74%) had an undetectable viral load (VL) on arrival. Resistance to ART was detected in five. At 6 months, 36 adoptees received ART, and the VL was undetectable in 29 children (71%), with one acquired resistance to NRTI & NNRTI. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing number of HIV-infected children have been internationally adopted in France since 2005. Most of the children have been initiated on treatment from their countries of origin, had good immunity, with few opportunistic infections, and infrequently detectable VL. Low level of mutation conferring resistance was detected.