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AbstractIntroduction: The number of adolescents with perinatally or behaviourally acquired HIV is increasing in low‐income countries, and especially in sub‐Saharan Africa where HIV prevalence and incidence are the highest. As they survive into adulthood in the era of antiretroviral therapy, there is a pressing need to transfer them from paediatric to adult care, known as the transition of care. We conducted a narrative review of recent evidence on their transition outcomes in Africa, highlighting the specific needs and challenges in these populations and settings, and the different models of care for transition.Areas covered: We searched PubMed bibliographic database, HIV conference content, and grey literature from January 2000 to August 2016 with the following keywords: HIV infections AND (adolescents or youth) AND transition AND Africa. All qualitative and quantitative, experimental and observational studies including HIV‐infected patients aged 10–24 years with information on transition were eligible.Results: Few data on transition outcomes for HIV‐infected adolescents are available from Africa settings. Studies mainly from Southern and East Africa reported on the barriers to successful transition, highlighting several gaps. These included lack of adequate infrastructure, staff training and communication between paediatric and adult clinicians as well as the fear of stigma of adolescents and youth living with HIV. Most countries have no specific national guidelines on when to disclose HIV status or when and how to transition to adult care. Several models of care adapted to the adolescent transition question have been implemented in specific settings. These models include teen clinics, peer educators or the use of social media. However, regardless of the model, services are increasingly overburdened and have insufficient human resources. Furthermore, very high attrition has been observed among adolescents and youth compared to younger children or older adults. There is a need to identify sub‐groups at higher risk of loss to follow‐up for targeted care and peer support.Expert commentary: Although the available HIV‐related data on adolescent transition outcomes are limited, there is evidence of their increased vulnerability during this period. Standardized data gathering, analysis, and reporting systems specific to adolescent transition are essential to improve understanding and adolescent outcomes in Africa.

IntroductionThere is a risk of anaemia among HIV‐infected children on antiretroviral therapy (ART) containing zidovudine (ZDV) recommended in first‐line regimens in the WHO guidelines. We estimated the risk of severe anaemia after initiation of a ZDV‐containing regimen in HIV‐infected children included in the IeDEA West African database.MethodsStandardized collection of data from HIV‐infected children (positive PCR<18 months or positive serology ≥18 months) followed up in HIV programmes was included in the regional IeDEA West Africa collaboration. Ten clinical centres from seven countries contributed (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali and Senegal) to this collection. Inclusion criteria were age <16 years and starting ART. We explored the data quality of haemoglobin documentation over time and the incidence and predictors of severe anaemia (Hb<7g/dL) per 100 child‐years of follow‐up over the duration of first‐line antiretroviral therapy.ResultsAs of December 2009, among the 2933 children included in the collaboration, 45% were girls, median age was five years; median CD4 cell percentage was 13%; median weight‐for‐age z‐score was −2.7; and 1772 (60.4%) had a first‐line ZDV‐containing regimen. At baseline, 70% of the children with a first‐line ZDV‐containing regimen had a haemoglobin measure available versus 76% in those not on ZDV (p≤0.01): the prevalence of severe anaemia was 3.0% (n=38) in the ZDV group versus 10.2% (n=89) in those without (p<0. 01). Over the first‐line follow‐up, 58.9% of the children had ≥1 measure of haemoglobin available in those exposed to ZDV versus 60.4% of those not (p=0.45). Severe anaemia occurred in 92 children with an incidence of 2.47 per 100 child‐years of follow‐up in those on a ZDV‐containing regimen versus 4.25 in those not (p≤0.01). Adjusted for age at ART initiation and first‐line regimen, a weight‐for‐age z‐score ≤−3 was a strong predictor associated with a 5.59 times risk of severe anaemia (p<0.01).ConclusionsSevere anaemia is frequent at baseline and guides the first‐line ART prescription, but its incidence seems rare among children on ART. Severe malnutrition at baseline is a strong predictor for development of severe anaemia, and interventions to address this should form an integral component of clinical care.

IntroductionCurrent knowledge on morbidity and mortality in HIV‐infected children comes from data collected in specific research programmes, which may offer a different standard of care compared to routine care. We described hospitalization data within a large observational cohort of HIV‐infected children in West Africa (IeDEA West Africa collaboration).MethodsWe performed a six‐month prospective multicentre survey from April to October 2010 in five HIV‐specialized paediatric hospital wards in Ouagadougou, Accra, Cotonou, Dakar and Bamako. Baseline and follow‐up data during hospitalization were recorded using a standardized clinical form, and extracted from hospitalization files and local databases. Event validation committees reviewed diagnoses within each centre. HIV‐related events were defined according to the WHO definitions.ResultsFrom April to October 2010, 155 HIV‐infected children were hospitalized; median age was 3 years [1–8]. Among them, 90 (58%) were confirmed for HIV infection during their stay; 138 (89%) were already receiving cotrimoxazole prophylaxis and 64 children (40%) had initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART). The median length of stay was 13 days (IQR: 7–23); 25 children (16%) died during hospitalization and four (3%) were transferred out. The leading causes of hospitalization were WHO stage 3 opportunistic infections (37%), non‐AIDS‐defining events (28%), cachexia and other WHO stage 4 events (25%).ConclusionsOverall, most causes of hospitalizations were HIV related but one hospitalization in three was caused by a non‐AIDS‐defining event, mostly in children on ART. HIV‐related fatality is also high despite the scaling‐up of access to ART in resource‐limited settings.