Abstract

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is rapidly increasing in children infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). According to our preliminary data, 1 in 30 children infected with HIV between the age of 16 and 19 are diagnosed with MetS. In addition, to MetS, tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV-infected children. Moreover, children with HIV have a 30-fold risk of developing TB and a significantly higher risk of death compared to non-HIV-infected children. Clinically, TB in HIV-infected children manifests with extensive heterogeneity (latent TB or active TB [probable, definite, or possible]), which poses a significant diagnostic challenge. The paucibacillary nature of pediatric TB means that only a small fraction of children with a compatible clinical presentation can be bacteriologically confirmed. This project provides a model methodological framework that can be applied to multimodal data in HIV-infected children and improves our understanding of how to effectively use artificial intelligence to target personalized or public health interventions that improve outcomes across the entire spectrum of the HIV continuum care in Africa.