HIV-exposed uninfected children: a growing population with a vulnerable immune system?

The Immune System of HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants

Infants born to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected women are HIV-exposed but the majority remains uninfected [i.e., HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU)]. HEU infants suffer greater morbidity and mortality from infections compared to HIV-unexposed (HU) peers. The reason(s) for these worse outcomes are uncertain, but could be related to an altered immune system state. This review comprehensivel...

Safety of Pediatric HIV Elimination: The Growing Population of HIV- and Antiretroviral-Exposed but Uninfected Infants

Lynne Mofenson and Heather Watts discuss the context and implications of the study by J. Sibuide and colleagues, which provides a detailed analysis of birth defects in infants with in utero antiretroviral drug exposure in the French Perinatal Cohort. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Immune development in HIV-exposed uninfected children born to HIV-infected women

Immunological and clinical findings suggestive of some immune dysfunction have been reported among HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children and adolescents. Whether these defects are persistent or transitory is still unknown. HEU pediatric population at birth, 12 months, 6-12 years were evaluated in comparison to healthy age-matched HIV-unexposed controls. Plasma levels of LPS, sCD14, cytokines, l...

A meta-analysis assessing all-cause mortality in HIV-exposed uninfected compared with HIV-unexposed uninfected infants and children.

OBJECTIVE Conduct a meta-analysis examining differential all-cause mortality rates between HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) infants and children as compared with their HIV-unexposed uninfected (HUU) counterparts. DESIGN Meta-analysis summarizing the difference in mortality between HEU and HUU infants and children. Reviewed studies comparing children in the two groups for all-cause mortality, in a...

Editorial: Immune Mechanisms Underlying the Increased Morbidity and Mortality of HIV-Exposed Uninfected (HEU) Children