Influence of the antiretroviral therapy on the growth pattern of children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Objective: Weight and height growth impairment is one of the most frequent manifestations in HIV-infected children and may be the first sign of disease, being considered a marker of disease progression and an independent risk factor for death. The aim of this review is to evaluate the influence of antiretroviral therapy on the growth pattern of children and adolescents living with HIV/AIDS. Source of data: A non-systematic review was carried out in the PubMed database, with the terms “HIV” “Weight and height growth” “ART” and “children”. The most relevant publications were selected. Data Synthesis: Antiretroviral therapy has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality in HIV-infected children and is clearly associated with recovery of weight and height-for-age Z-scores, especially when started early, in the asymptomatic child still without weight–height impairment. Therapeutic strategies involving the GH/IGF-1 axis, especially for children with growth impairment, are still being studied. Conclusions: HIV-infected children show early weight–height impairment; antiretroviral therapy improves the anthropometric profile of these children.