Chronic lung disease in children and adolescents with HIV: a case-control study.
McHugh G., Rehman AM., Simms V., Gonzalez-Martinez C., Bandason T., Dauya E., Moyo B., Mujuru H., Rylance J., Sovershaeva E., Weiss HA., Kranzer K., Odland J., Ferrand RA., BREATHE Clinical Trial Team None.
ObjectiveTo describe the features of HIV-associated chronic lung disease (CLD) in older children and adolescents living with HIV and to examine the clinical factors associated with CLD. This is a post hoc analysis of baseline data from the BREATHE clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02426112).MethodsChildren and adolescents aged 6-19 years were screened for CLD (defined as a FEV1 z-score ResultsOf the 1585 participants screened, 419 (32%) had a FEV1 z-score 0 as controls [median age 15.6 years (IQR 12.1-18.2); 62.2% female]. Among cases, current respiratory symptoms including cough and shortness of breath were reported infrequently (9.3% and 1.8%, respectively). However, 152 (43.8%) of cases had a respiratory rate above the 90th centile for their age. Wasting and taking second-line ART were independently associated with CLD.ConclusionsThe presence of CLD indicates the need to address additional treatment support for youth living with HIV, alongside ART provision, to ensure a healthier adulthood.