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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
Weight and height z-scores improve after initiating ART among HIV-infected children in rural Zambia: A cohort study
BMC Infectious Diseases, Volume 11, Article 54, Year 2011
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Description
Background: Deficits in growth observed in HIV-infected children in resource-poor settings can be reversed with antiretroviral treatment (ART). However, many of the studies have been conducted in urban areas with older pediatric populations. This study was undertaken to evaluate growth patterns after ART initiation in a young pediatric population in rural Zambia with a high prevalence of undernutrition.Methods: Between 2007 and 2009, 193 HIV-infected children were enrolled in a cohort study in Macha, Zambia. Children were evaluated every 3 months, at which time a questionnaire was administered, height and weight were measured, and blood specimens were collected. Weight- and height-for-age z-scores were constructed from WHO growth standards. All children receiving ART at enrollment or initiating ART during the study were included in this analysis. Linear mixed effects models were used to model trajectories of weight and height-for-age z-scores.Results: A high proportion of study children were underweight (59%) and stunted (72%) at treatment initiation. Improvements in both weight- and height-for-age z-scores were observed, with weight-for-age z-scores increasing during the first 6 months of treatment and then stabilizing, and height-for-age z-scores increasing consistently over time. Trajectories of weight-for-age z-scores differed by underweight status at treatment initiation, with children who were underweight experiencing greater increases in z-scores in the first 6 months of treatment. Trajectories of height-for-age z-scores differed by age, with children older than 5 years of age experiencing smaller increases over time.Conclusions: Some of the effects of HIV on growth were reversed with ART initiation, although a high proportion of children remained underweight and stunted after two years of treatment. Partnerships between treatment and nutrition programs should be explored so that HIV-infected children can receive optimal nutritional support. © 2011 Sutcliffe et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
Authors & Co-Authors
Sutcliffe, Catherine G.
United States, Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
van Dijk, Janneke H.
Zambia
Macha Hospital
Munsanje, Bornface
Zambia
Macha Hospital
Hamangaba, Francis
Zambia
Macha Hospital
Sinywimaanzi, Pamela
Zambia
Macha Hospital
Thuma, Philip E.
Zambia
Macha Hospital
Moss, William John
United States, Baltimore
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Statistics
Citations: 69
Authors: 7
Affiliations: 2
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1186/1471-2334-11-54
e-ISSN:
14712334
Research Areas
Food Security
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Cohort Study
Study Approach
Quantitative
Study Locations
Zambia