Dataset Information

Neurological and growth outcomes in South African children with congenital cytomegalovirus: A cohort study.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES:To assess neurological sequelae and growth in the first 12 months of life in a cohort of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infected infants compared to cCMV uninfected infants. STUDY DESIGN:This was a prospective matched cohort study conducted in Soweto, South Africa where forty-six confirmed cCMV cases were matched on HIV-exposure, gender and gestational age (±two weeks) to 84 cCMV-uninfected controls in a 1:2 ratio. Cases and controls were followed up until 12 months of age to assess anthropometry, hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes. RESULTS:Thirty-four (73.9%) cCMV cases and 74 (88.1%) controls, completed all assessments at 12 months age. At 12 months, one cCMV case had died, none of the children in either group had SNHL and neurodevelopmental delay was present in a similar percentage of cCMV cases (n = 2; 6%) and controls (n = 1, 4%; OR 1.09, 95% CI 0.04-27.84, p = 0.958). Anthropometry did not differ between cases and controls overall throughout the follow up period. HIV-exposed cases had smaller head circumference for age at 6 and 12 months when compared with HIV-exposed controls. CONCLUSION:By 12 months of age, there was no evidence of a difference in neurological sequelae between cCMV infected South African children and cCMV uninfected children in this study. Further follow-up is warranted to detect late-onset hearing loss and neurodevelopmental delay beyond 12 months of age.

SUBMITTER: Pathirana J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7498063 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Neurological and growth outcomes in South African children with congenital cytomegalovirus: A cohort study.

Pathirana Jayani J Texeira Leanne L Munian Hannah H Nakwa Firdose F Mayet Ismail I Maposa Innocent I Groome Michelle J MJ Boppana Suresh S Madhi Shabir A SA

PloS one 20200917 9

<h4>Objectives</h4>To assess neurological sequelae and growth in the first 12 months of life in a cohort of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infected infants compared to cCMV uninfected infants.<h4>Study design</h4>This was a prospective matched cohort study conducted in Soweto, South Africa where forty-six confirmed cCMV cases were matched on HIV-exposure, gender and gestational age (±two weeks) to 84 cCMV-uninfected controls in a 1:2 ratio. Cases and controls were followed up until 12 months ...[more]

PMID: 32941484

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Project description:BackgroundData on outcomes of children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM) following treatment are scarce with none described from any upper-middle-income country. This study established mortality, clinical outcomes and anthropometric recovery of children with SAM six months following hospital discharge.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted in children aged 3-59 months enrolled on discharge from two hospitals in the Tshwane district of South Africa between April 2019 and January 2020. The primary outcome was mortality at six months. Secondary outcomes included relapse rates, type(s) and frequency of morbidities experienced and the anthropometric changes in children with SAM following hospital discharge. Standard programmatic support included nutritional supplements.ResultsForty-three children were enrolled with 86% of participants followed up to six months. Only a third of the participants had normal anthropometry at hospital discharge-a quarter still had ongoing SAM. There were no deaths, although four children (9%) were re-hospitalised including two for complicated SAM. Mean weight-for-length z-scores (WLZ) and wasting rates improved at one month but deteriorated by three months. At three months, six children (14%) either had ongoing or relapsed SAM-a SAM incidence rate of 20 per 1000 person-months despite more than half of the participants still receiving nutritional supplements at the time. Risk factors associated with persistent malnutrition at three months included a low WLZ on admission (relative risk [RR] 3.3, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.2-9.2), being discharged from hospital before meeting WHO SAM treatment discharge criteria (RR 5.3, 95%CI 1.3-14.8) or having any illness by three months (RR 8.6, 95%CI 1.3-55.7).ConclusionPost-discharge mortality and morbidity was lower than in other less resourced settings. However, anthropometric recovery was poorer than expected. Modifying discharge criteria, optimising the use of available nutritional supplements and better integration with community-based health and social services may improve outcomes for children with SAM post-hospitalisation.

Project description:IntroductionThere are approximately 16 million children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU) worldwide. Studies suggest that CHEU are at risk for developmental impairment in infancy, particularly in language domains. However, there is limited research examining neurocognitive function in CHEU older than 2 years, including important pre-school years. This study aimed to investigate associations between HIV exposure without infection and neurocognitive outcomes and to determine risk factors for neurodevelopment in CHEU at age 3-4 years.MethodsThe Drakenstein Child Health Study is a South African population-based birth cohort which enrolled women in pregnancy with ongoing follow up. Neurocognitive outcomes were assessed in children at 3.5 years by trained assessors blinded to HIV status including general cognitive function, language, and memory, measured using the Kaufmann Assessment Battery for Children, Second Edition (KABC-II). Data were compared between CHEU and children who were HIV-unexposed uninfected (CHUU) using multivariable logistic and linear regression, including testing for effect modification; sex-stratified risk factor analyses were performed.ResultsA total of 497 children were included (97 [20%] CHEU; 400 [80%] CHUU; 50% male), with a mean age of 3.5 years (range 3.4-3.6). Groups had similar birth and household characteristics, although mothers of CHEU were older, on average. Overall, CHEU had lower expressive language scores compared to CHUU on unadjusted and adjusted analyses (effect size: -0.23 [95% CI -0.45, -0.01]). There were no group differences in general cognitive or memory function (p>0.05). On sex-stratified analyses, male CHEU were found to have higher odds of suboptimal cognitive development compared to male CHUU (aOR 2.28 [95% CI 1.06, 4.87], p = 0.034). Several other factors including birthweight, maternal education, maternal ART duration and HIV viral load during pregnancy were associated with cognition, memory, or expressive language outcomes in CHEU, dependent on child sex.InterpretationThe findings suggest that perinatal HIV exposure continues to be associated with impaired language development across the preschool years, highlighting the importance of targeting early interventions to optimise language outcomes. Further, the results suggest the importance of demographic, biological and HIV-related variables influencing developmental outcomes in CHEU. The greater risk of suboptimal cognitive development in male CHEU requires investigation around sex-specific mechanisms.

Project description:Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an indispensable tool for investigating brain development in young children and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying developmental risk and resilience. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest proportion of children at risk of developmental delay worldwide, yet in this region there is very limited neuroimaging research focusing on the neurobiology of such impairment. Furthermore, paediatric MRI imaging is challenging in any setting due to motion sensitivity. Although sedation and anesthesia are routinely used in clinical practice to minimise movement in young children, this may not be ethical in the context of research. Our study aimed to investigate the feasibility of paediatric multimodal MRI at age 2-3 years without sedation, and to explore the relationship between cortical structure and neurocognitive development at this understudied age in a sub-Saharan African setting. A total of 239 children from the Drakenstein Child Health Study, a large observational South African birth cohort, were recruited for neuroimaging at 2-3 years of age. Scans were conducted during natural sleep utilising locally developed techniques. T1-MEMPRAGE and T2-weighted structural imaging, resting state functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy sequences were included. Child neurodevelopment was assessed using the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development. Following 23 pilot scans, 216 children underwent scanning and T1-weighted images were obtained from 167/216 (77%) of children (median age 34.8 months). Furthermore, we found cortical surface area and thickness within frontal regions were associated with cognitive development, and in temporal and frontal regions with language development (beta coefficient ≥0.20). Overall, we demonstrate the feasibility of carrying out a neuroimaging study of young children during natural sleep in sub-Saharan Africa. Our findings indicate that dynamic morphological changes in heteromodal association regions are associated with cognitive and language development at this young age. These proof-of-concept analyses suggest similar links between the brain and cognition as prior literature from high income countries, enhancing understanding of the interplay between cortical structure and function during brain maturation.

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Dataset Information

Neurological and growth outcomes in South African children with congenital cytomegalovirus: A cohort study.

Publications

Neurological and growth outcomes in South African children with congenital cytomegalovirus: A cohort study.

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