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. 2025 Aug 25.
doi: 10.1007/s00246-025-03925-2. Online ahead of print.

Left Ventricular Changes and Inflammatory Biomarkers in HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants in Jos, Northcentral Nigeria

Olukemi O Ige  1   2 , Ruth Adah  3 , Charlotte Ajeong Chang  4 , Beth Chaplin  4 , Fidelia Bode-Thomas  5   3 , Atiene S Sagay  6 , Phyllis J Kanki  4
Affiliations

Left Ventricular Changes and Inflammatory Biomarkers in HIV-Exposed Uninfected Infants in Jos, Northcentral Nigeria

Olukemi O Ige et al. Pediatr Cardiol. .

Abstract

Cardiac remodeling has been reported in HIV-exposed but uninfected (HEU) infants. Inflammatory biomarkers have also been observed to be associated with cardiac remodeling in older HEU children but have not been widely studied in infants. We identified left ventricular (LV) cardiac changes in HEU infants exposed to current ARV therapy in utero and determined their association with the inflammatory biomarkers, C-reactive protein (CRP), and cardiac troponin. This comparative cross-sectional study included 196 HEU infants and 198 matched HIV-unexposed controls. We evaluated LV structure and function using echocardiography and tested blood samples using highly sensitive CRP (hsCRP) and cardiac troponin I (cTnI-plus) measurements. Data were analyzed using the R statistical software package; p values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The HEU infants had thicker LV posterior walls and interventricular septa in diastole (median difference 0.55 and 0.30, 95% CI 0.22-0.89 and 0.13-0.54, respectively, p < 0.001), higher left ventricular mass index (median difference 3.8, 95% CI 1.2-6.9, p < 0.001), and left ventricular wall thickness-to-diameter ratio (median difference 0.02, 95% CI 0.01-0.03, p < 0.001) compared with controls. The interventricular septa Z score was significantly thicker in HEU infants with elevated hsCRP levels (AOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.22-3.36, p = 0.006). Cardiac remodeling is present in HEU infants exposed to current ARV regimens in utero. Longitudinal studies are required to identify infants who may require cardiac evaluation and further explore biomarkers associated with cardiac remodeling in HEU infants.

Keywords: C-reactive protein (CRP); Cardiac troponin I (cTnI); Dolutegravir (DTG); Echocardiography; In utero antiretroviral (ARV) exposure; Left ventricular (LV) structure and function.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: Ethical Approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH/DCS/IREC/127/XXX/298) and permits from the individual hospitals where the study was conducted. The study was performed in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent to Participate: The objectives and methods of the study were explained to all mothers prior to recruitment and written consent was obtained as regards to being involved in the study and having their data published, with assurances of anonymity and confidentiality. The same study protocol was used for both HEU infants and controls. Infants who needed further evaluation and treatment were referred appropriately.

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