Early structural brain development in infants exposed to HIV and antiretroviral therapy in utero in a South African birth cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

There is a growing population of children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (HEU) with the successful expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) use in pregnancy. Children who are HEU are at risk of delayed neurodevelopment; however, there is limited research on early brain growth and maturation. We aimed to investigate the effects of in utero exposure to HIV/ART on brain structure of infants who are HEU compared to HIV-unexposed (HU).

Methods

Magnetic resonance imaging using a T2-weighted sequence was undertaken in a subgroup of infants aged 2-6 weeks enrolled in the Drakenstein Child Health Study birth cohort, South Africa, between 2012 and 2015. Mother-child pairs received antenatal and postnatal HIV testing and ART per local guidelines. We compared subcortic

SUBMITTER: Wedderburn CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8765561 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature