Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
New Tools to Expand Regulatory T Cells from HIV-1-infected Individuals
Published on: May 30, 2013
Improving survival among Brazilian children with perinatally-acquired AIDS
Luiza Harunari Matida1, Luiz Francisco Marcopito, Regina Celia de Menezes Succi
1São Paulo State STD/AIDS Program, and Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo-SP, Brazil.
Insights
Brazil
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Brazil pioneered free, universal antiretroviral treatment (ART) for AIDS patients, offering a unique model for developing nations.
- The impact of ART on survival for perinatally acquired AIDS in the developing world was previously unestablished.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of universal antiretroviral treatment on the survival rates of children with perinatally acquired AIDS in Brazil.
- To analyze trends in survival for pediatric AIDS cases within the Brazilian healthcare system.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study.
- Involved medical record reviews of 914 children with perinatally acquired AIDS.
- Data collected from 10 Brazilian cities, with diagnoses spanning 1983 to 1998.
Main Results:
- Significant and steady increases in survival time were observed.
- Children diagnosed in 1997-1998 showed a 75% survival rate after four years, a substantial improvement from earlier diagnoses.
- Earlier diagnosed children had a median survival of only 20 months.
Conclusions:
- Advances in AIDS management and treatment significantly improved survival for Brazilian children.
- The findings strongly support the expansion of universal antiretroviral treatment to children globally, particularly in developing countries.
Unlabelled:
Brazil was the first developing country to provide free, universal access to antiretroviral treatment for AIDS patients. The Brazilian experience thus provides the first evidence regarding the impact of such treatment on the survival of perinatally acquired AIDS cases in the developing world.
Material And Methods:
This retrospective cohort study used medical record reviews to examine characteristics and trends in the survival of a representative sample of 914 perinatally acquired AIDS cases in 10 Brazilian cities diagnosed between 1983 and 1998.
Results:
Survival time increased steadily and substantially. Whereas half of the children died within 20 months of diagnosis at the beginning of the epidemic, 75% of children diagnosed in 1997 and 1998 were still alive after four years of follow-up.
Conclusions:
Advances in management and treatment have made a great difference in the survival of Brazilian children with AIDS. These results argue strongly for making such treatment available to children in the entire developing world.
