BackgroundChronic lung disease (CLD) has been reported among African children with perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (C-PHIV), despite combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). In adults, shorter telomere length (TL) has been reported in association with both CLD and HIV. As little is known in children, our objective was to compare TL in HIV-positive (cART-naive or -treated) and HIV-negative children with and without CLD.MethodsParticipants included Zimbabwean C-PHIV, aged 6-16, who were either newly diagnosed and cART-naive, or on cART for >6 months, and HIV-negative controls of similar age and sex. Packed blood cell (granulocyte) TLs from 621 children were compared cross-sectionally between groups. For a subset of newly diagnosed C-PHIV, changes in TL following cART initiation were evaluated.ResultsC-PHIV had shorter granulocyte TL compared with uninfected peers, regardless of cART. Among 255 C-PHIV without CLD, TL was shorter in cART-naive participants. In multivariable analyses adjusted for age, sex, CLD, and HIV/cART status, shorter TL was independently associated with older age, being HIV positive, and having reduced forced vital capacity (FVC). Last, cART initiation increased TL.ConclusionsIn this cohort, C-PHIV and those with reduced FVC have shorter granulocyte TL, possibly the result of increased immune activation and cellular turnover due to longstanding HIV infection with delayed cART initiation.
Journal article
Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
10/2021
73
e2043 - e2051
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Granulocytes, Telomere, Humans, HIV Infections, Lung Diseases, Adolescent, Aged, Child, Zimbabwe