Increased severe anemia in HIV-1-exposed and HIV-1-positive infants and children during acute malaria

Abstract

Objective: Since the primary hematological complication in both pediatric HIV-1 and malaria is anemia, co-infection with these pathogens may promote life-threatening severe malarial anemia (SMA). The primary objective of the study was to determine if HIV-1 exposure [HIV-1(exp)] and/or HIV-1 infection [HIV-1(+)] increased the prevalence of SMA in children with acute malaria.

Design: The effect of HIV-1 exposure and HIV-1 infection on the prevalence of SMA (hemoglobin < 6.0 g/dl), parasitemia (parasites/microl), and high-density parasitemia (HDP, >or= 10 000 parasites/mul) was investigated in children <or= 2 years of age presenting at hospital with acute Plasmodium falciparum malaria in a rural holoendemic malaria transmission area of western Kenya.

Methods: Upon enrollment, a complete hematological and clinical evaluation was performed on all children. Malaria parasitemia was determined and children with acute P. falciparum malaria were evaluated for HIV-1 exposure and infection by two rapid serological antibody tests and HIV-1 DNA PCR, respectively.

Results: Relative to HIV-1(-) group (n = 194), the HIV-1(exp) (n = 100) and HIV-1(+) (n = 23) groups had lower hemoglobin concentrations (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), while parasitemia and HDP were equivalent between the three groups. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that the risk of SMA was elevated in HIV-1(exp) children (odds ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-3.78; P < 0.01) and HIV-1(+) children (odds ratio, 8.71; 95% confidence interval, 3.37-22.51; P < 0.0001). The multivariate model further revealed that HIV-1 exposure or infection were not significantly associated with HDP.

Conclusions: Results presented here demonstrate that both HIV-1 exposure and HIV-1 infection are associated with increased prevalence of SMA during acute P. falciparum infection, independent of parasite density.