The Clinical Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for HIV/AIDS

A Clinical Guide to Supportive and Palliative Care for HIV/AIDS • Chapter 12: The Care of Children and AdolescentsPALLIATIVE CARE FOR CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS WITH HIV/AIDS■ Palliative care is the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curativetreatment.26 picasBecause HIV remains a disease without curative treatment, in some sense, all care ispalliative in intent. We must attend to patients’ physical problems in order to support furtherexploration of the emotional, spiritual, and social issues that concern them. We strive to improvethe quality of living through HIV-specific therapies and other supportive and preventive therapies.Symptom ManagementThis section explores the range of physical symptoms experienced by children and adolescentswith HIV/AIDS, management options for these symptoms, and strategies for successfullyimplementing effective management. Conscious use of this framework for care from the time ofdiagnosis will help to facilitate the transitions in care that must occur as disease progresses.The range of symptoms experienced by children and adolescents is similar to that for adultswith HIV/AIDS. Some symptoms are caused by the underlying disease and its complicationsand some are caused by the procedures and treatments that are used to manage the disease(Table 12-3).Table 12-3: Causes of Symptoms in HIV/AIDS PatientsSymptomCausesDisease Procedure TreatmentPain ■ ■Nausea ■ ■Anorexia ■ ■Vomiting ■ ■Diarrhea ■ ■Constipation ■ ■Fatigue ■ ■FeverDyspneaCoughBleedingSeizures■■■■■Anxiety ■ ■ ■Fear ■ ■ ■Depression■Sleep disturbance ■ ■ ■Skin lesions ■ ■ ■272U.S. Department of Health and Human Services • Health Resources and Services Administration • HIV/AIDS Bureau