Protein turnover in HIV- infected children

To explore the mechanisms by which HIV infection results in growth retardation, protein turnover (Q), snynthesis (S), and catabolism (C) were assessed using the 15N-glycine end product method. HIV+ children with growth retardation (HIV+Gr), defined as height/age or weight/height <-1.5- Z-scores below the NCHS median, were compared with HIV+ and HIV children with normal growth. All were free of acute, febrile illness at time of study. Twenty-four children between 2 and 11 years of age were studied. Although not statistically significant, mean Q, S, and C were higher in HIV+Gr compared to HIV+ and HIV-, and higher in HIV+ than HIV-. (Figure Presented) Conclusion: These results suggest a trend towards increased protein turnover in HIV+ children, which may play a role in growth retardation. Further studies are needed, as small sample size may have precluded the power to detect statistically significant different differences between the groups.