A home health nurse suspects that a child living with his IV drug–abusing mother may have HIV. Which of the following clinical manifestations would confirm this diagnosis? Select all that apply

Question

A) Extremely small for his age to the point of failure to thrive
B) CNS abnormalities like seizures, difficulty with walking
C) Pneumonia culture reveals a fungal infection of the lungs
D) Isolating himself in a back room with the lights dim
E) Uncontrolled crying every time the mother approaches

Answer 1

Ans: A, B, C
Feedback:
Children may have a different clinical presentation of HIV infection than adults. Failure to thrive, CNS abnormalities, and developmental delays are the most prominent primary manifestations of HIV infection in children. Children born with HIV infection usually weigh less and are shorter than noninfected infants. A major cause of early mortality for HIV-infected children is P. jiroveci pneumonia, which occurs early in children, with the peak age of onset at 3 to 6 months.