Important note: Information in this article was accurate in January 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Inflammation and coagulation markers askew in children with higher HIV RNA
HIV Treat Bull - 2009 Jan-Feb;10(1/2): 08
Mark Mascolini, for NATAP.org
Levels of the thrombosis marker D-dimer were significantly higher in children and adolescents with an HIV viral load above 1000 copies/mL than in those with lower loads.[1] Protein C and S anticoagulant activity and antithrombin activity were lower in youngsters with high viral loads.
HIV researchers started pondering D-dimer when SMART trial investigators charted significantly rising levels of that marker in people randomised to intermittent antiretrovirals compared with steady therapy.[2] The SMART analysis also disclosed climbing concentrations of IL-6, an inflammation marker, in treatment interrupters. Higher SMART baseline levels of both D-dimer and IL-6 raised the risk of all-cause mortality.
A cross-sectional (“slice-of-time”) study at Rome’s Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital involved 88 children, adolescents, and young adults seen between December 2007 and June 2008. Their ages averaged 13.6 years and ranged from 3 to 25. Fifty-two cohort members (59%) were female, and 76 (86%) were taking antiretrovirals. The investigators measured the thrombosismarker D-dimer and several inflammation markers—antithrombin,protein C anticoagulant, protein S anticoagulant, and C-reactive protein.
Sixty-three youngsters (72%) had a viral load below 1000 copies, and 25 had a higher load. Sixty-eight people (77%) had a CD4% above 25% and 20 were under 25%. Sixty-one (70%) had CDC class B or C (symptomatic) HIV infection and 27 did not. Defining protein C and S activity deficiency as below 70% activity, the investigators found deficient C activity in 7 people (8%) and deficient S activity in 45 (51%). Antithrombin activity deficiency, defined as below 75% activity, affected only 1 person.
D-dimer levels were significantly higher in cohort members with a viral load above 1000 than in those with lower loads. In contrast, activity of protein C anticoagulant, protein S anticoagulant, and antithrombin was significantly lower in the group with a high viral load. C-reactive protein did not vary significantly by viral load, CD4%, or disease stage. None of the markers correlated with age or duration of HIV infection.
The SMART analysis of D-dimer and IL-6 factored in age, race, use of antiretrovirals, viral load, CD4 count, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), prior cardiovascular disease, diabetes, use of antihypertensives or lipid-lowering drugs, total-to- HDL cholesterol ratio, and coinfection with hepatitis B or C[2]. The Italian study excluded people with hepatitis but did not specify which variables they weighed in their analysis, other than those noted above.
The investigators speculated that the better protein C and anticoagulant activity in children and adolescents with symptomatic HIV infection could reflect antiretroviral treatment of these children compared with those who had less advanced infection. But none of the markers studied varied significantly by antiretroviral treatment status. The 1000-copy cutoff for good viral control may strike some as arbitrary.
Table 1: Inflammation and coagulation markers by viral load, CD4% and CDC class
| Parameter | VL <1000 copies/mL | VL >1000 copies/mL | p-value |
| D-dimer, mean ng/mL (±SD) | 206 (± 100) | 341 (± 253) | 0.024 |
| Protein C activity, mean % (±SD) | 101.9% (± 26.0%) | 92.0% (± 14.7%) | 0.007 |
| CDC class N/A: 89.9% (± 20.4% SD) | 0.02 | ||
| CDC class B/C: 103.1% (± 24.1% SD) | |||
| Protein S activity, mean % (±SD) | 75.3% (± 18.2%) | 57.6% (± 21.7%) | 0.0003 |
| CD4% >25: 74.1% (± 19.5% SD) | 0.001 | ||
| CD4% <25: 57.2% (± 20.0% SD) | |||
| Antithrombin activity, mean % (±SD) | 115.5% (± 13.6%) | 107.5% (± 9.2% SD) | 0.005 |
| CDC class N/A 107.2% (± 9.2%) | 0.002 | ||
| CDC class B/C: 116.15% (± 13.6% ) | |||
| CD4% >25: 114.6% (± 13.2% SD) | 0.024 | ||
| CD4% <25: 108.9% (± 11.5% SD) | |||
The researchers acknowledged that “further studies are necessary to correlate such alterations with clinical events and to investigate the protective role of therapy in this particular population.” This line of research bears watching since treatment interruptions remain high on the research agenda for children, who otherwise face several decades of continuous antiretroviral therapy. But if coagulation and inflammation markers signal a higher risk of non-AIDS diseases in children with higher loads while interrupting therapy (as they do in adults [2]), treatment breaks may not be worth the risk, even in children.
References
2009-02-10
IB2009-01-08
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