Height and timing of growth spurt during puberty in young people living with vertically acquired HIV in Europe and Thailand

The European Pregnancy and Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration (EPPICC) study group.
[Objective]: The aim of this study was to describe growth during puberty in young people with vertically acquired HIV. [Design]: Pooled data from 12 paediatric HIV cohorts in Europe and Thailand. [Methods]: One thousand and ninety-four children initiating a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or boosted protease inhibitor based regimen aged 1–10 years were included. Super Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) models described growth from age 8 years using three parameters (average height, timing and shape of the growth spurt), dependent on age and height-for-age z-score (HAZ) (WHO references) at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Multivariate regression explored characteristics associated with these three parameters. [Results]: At ART initiation, median age and HAZ was 6.4 [interquartile range (IQR): 2.8, 9.0] years and −1.2 (IQR: −2.3 to −0.2), respectively. Median follow-up was 9.1 (IQR: 6.9, 11.4) years. In girls, older age and lower HAZ at ART initiation were independently associated with a growth spurt which occurred 0.41 (95% confidence interval 0.20–0.62) years later in children starting ART age 6 to 10 years compared with 1 to 2 years and 1.50 (1.21–1.78) years later in those starting with HAZ less than −3 compared with HAZ at least −1. Later growth spurts in girls resulted in continued height growth into later adolescence. In boys starting ART with HAZ less than −1, growth spurts were later in children starting ART in the oldest age group, but for HAZ at least −1, there was no association with age. Girls and boys who initiated ART with HAZ at least −1 maintained a similar height to the WHO reference mean. [Conclusion]: Stunting at ART initiation was associated with later growth spurts in girls. Children with HAZ at least −1 at ART initiation grew in height at the level expected in HIV negative children of a comparable age.
This work has been partially funded by the Fundación para la Investigación y Prevención de SIDA en España (FIPSE) (FIPSE 3608229/09, FIPSE 240800/09, FIPSE 361910/10), Red Temática de Investigación en SIDA (RED RIS) supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (RD12/0017/0035 and RD12/0017/0037), project as part of the Plan R+D+I and cofinanced by ISCIII- Subdirección General de Evaluación and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER),Mutua Madrileña 2012/0077, Gilead Fellowship 2013/0071, FIS PI15/00694,CoRISpe (RED RIS RD06/0006/0035 y RD06/0006/0021).