Table 1. Baseline characteristics of Z-OCS pediatric cohort.
| Patient Characteristic | Statistic (N = 2203) | |
|---|---|---|
| Age at entry, median (IQR) | 4.8 (1.9–9.3) | |
| Age categories, n (%) | < 1 year | 219 (10) |
| 1 - <2 years | 343 (16) | |
| 2 - <5 years | 584 (27) | |
| 5–15 years | 1057 (48) | |
| Sex, n (% female) | 1114 (51) | |
| Calendar year at enrolment in cohort, n (%) | 2003–2005 | 76 (3.4) |
| 2006–2009 | 1308 (59) | |
| 2010–2011 | 819 (37) | |
| Traditional Authority, n (%) | Chikowi | 751 (34) |
| Mwambo | 443 (20) | |
| Mlumbe | 377 (17) | |
| Malemia | 244 (11) | |
| Kumtumanji | 188 (8.5) | |
| Zomba Town | 23 (1.0) | |
| Other1 | 108 (4.9) | |
| unknown | 69 (3.1) | |
| Baseline clinical staging, n (%) (N = 1821)2 | Stage 1 | 340 (19) |
| Stage 2 | 324 (13) | |
| Stage 3 | 861 (47) | |
| Stage 4 | 386 (21) | |
| Baseline absolute CD4 count, median (IQR) cells/uL (N = 223)3 | < 1 year | 260 (244–328) |
| 1 - <2 years | 527 (250–774) | |
| 2 - <5 years | 357 (250–541) | |
| 5–15 years | 243 (137–343) | |
| Diagnoses at enrollment, n (%) | Tuberculosis | 409 (19) |
| Oral candidiasis | 241 (11) | |
| Nutritional status at ART initiation, n (%) (N = 1112)4 | Wasting4,5 | 109 (9.8) |
| Stunting4,6 | 370 (33) | |
| Weight-for-age<-3SD4 | 354 (32) | |
1 The remaining sites contributed fewer than 10 patients each to the cohort.
2 Clinical staging was available for 1821 (83%) of cohort
3 223 (10%) patients had CD4 count performed at enrolment
4 subgroup includes only children <5 years old, for whom indices of malnutrition are well validated
5 weight-for-length/height<-3SD
6 length/height-for-age<-3SD