Increased incidence of asthma in HIV-infected children treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy in the National Institutes of Health Women and Infants Transmission Study.
BACKGROUND
Immunoreconstitution of HIV(+) patients after treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) appears to provoke inflammatory diseases.


OBJECTIVE
We sought to determine whether HIV(+) children receiving HAART (HIV(+) HAART(+)) have a higher incidence of asthma than HIV(+) children not receiving HAART (HIV(+) HAART(-)).


METHODS
Two thousand six hundred sixty-four children (193 HIV(+) and 2471 HIV(-) children) born to HIV(+) women were evaluated for the incidence and prevalence of asthma (ie, asthma medication use) and change of CD4(+) T-cell percentage with time.


RESULTS
The HIV(+) HAART(+) children had higher CD4(+) T-cell percentages, lower CD8(+) T-cell percentages, and lower viral burdens than the HIV(+) HAART(-) children (P < or = .05 to P < or = .01). The cumulative incidence of asthma medication use in HIV(+) HAART(+) children at 13.5 years increased to 33.5% versus 11.5% in HIV(+) HAART(-) children (hazard ratio, 3.34; P = .01) and was equal to that in the HIV(-) children. In children born before the HAART era, the prevalence of asthma medication use for HIV(+) HAART(+) children at 11 years of age was 10.4% versus 3.8% for HIV(+) HAART(-) children (odds ratio, 3.38; P = .02) and was equal to that of the HIV(-) children. The rate of change of CD4(+) T cells around the time of first asthma medication for HIV(+) HAART(+) versus HIV(+) HAART(-) children was 0.81%/y versus -1.43%/y (P = .01).


CONCLUSIONS
The increased incidence of asthma in HIV(+) HAART(+) children might be driven by immunoreconstitution of CD4(+) T cells.
Department of Pediatrics, Allergy and Immunology Section, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Tex 77030, USA.
Samuel B
SB
Foster
Kenneth
K
McIntosh
Bruce
B
Thompson
Ming
M
Lu
Wanrong
W
Yin
Kenneth C
KC
Rich
Hermann
H
Mendez
Leslie K
LK
Serchuck
Clemente
C
Diaz
Mary E
ME
Paul
William T
WT
Shearer
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents