title: Gender differences in lymphocyte populations, plasma HIV RNA levels, and disease progression in a cohort of children born to women infected with HIV.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to document gender differences in lymphocyte subsets and plasma RNA levels in a pediatric cohort with presumed minimal hormonal differences (on the basis of age).
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples from antiretroviral therapy-treated, HIV-infected children (n = 158) and HIV-uninfected children (n = 1801) who were enrolled in the Women and Infants Transmission Study were analyzed at specified study intervals with consensus protocols, and various parameters were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Antiretroviral therapy-treated, HIV-infected female children had, on average, 0.38 log10 copies per mL lower plasma RNA levels than did their male counterparts, but lymphocyte differences were not noted in this cohort. Despite their higher plasma RNA level, a greater proportion of male children survived through 8 years of age. There were no gender differences with respect to the age of diagnosis of HIV, time to antiretroviral therapy after diagnosis of HIV, or type of antiretroviral therapy. Lymphocyte differences were noted for uninfected children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Plasma RNA levels differed among antiretroviral therapy-treated, HIV-infected children according to gender, in a manner similar to that noted in previous pediatric and adult studies. Lymphocyte subsets varied according to gender in a cohort of HIV-exposed but uninfected children. Most importantly, overall mortality rates for this cohort differed according to gender.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA. mdf10@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Foca
authors.forename: Jack
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moye
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rich
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Handelsman
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luzuriaga
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Clemente
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Diaz
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral