chronic otitis media in HIV-child

About this activity

Otitis media and sinusitis are among the most common minor bacterial infections affecting children with normal immune function. To date, there has been a paucity of systematic study of these infections in immunocompromised hosts in general. However, substantial experience and a limited literature suggest that, in their acute, chronic, and recurrent forms, they also occur commonly in children who are infected with HIV. Although the causes, manifestations, and clinical courses of most episodes of otitis media and sinusitis in HIV-infected children are indistinguishable from those in immunocompetent children, unusually frequent, prolonged, severe, or otherwise problematic episodes, or those caused by unusual or opportunistic pathogens, can be the sentinel expressions of immunodeficiency that should prompt an assessment for HIV infection.