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Potential ‘strong link’ between HIV exposure in utero, obesity as teen
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NEW ORLEANS — Teenagers and young adults who were exposed to HIV in utero but not infected were more likely to have obesity than those who were not exposed, according to findings presented at the Endocrine Society Annual Meeting.
Lindsay Fourman, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said that maternal CD4 levels appear to play a role in these findings.
“We found this to be remarkable because these two parameters, the CD4 count and BMI in the adolescent, are something that was collected over 12 years apart in time. The fact that they are so strongly correlated was striking,” she said.
Fourman added that the next research steps include establishing phenotypes via prospective studies to confirm other possibly connected issues such as blood glucose and fatty liver.
For more Healio coverage of this study, click here. – by Janel Miller and Phil Neuffer
Reference:
Fourman L, et al. SAT-256. Obesity and reactive airway disease are increased among HIV-exposed uninfected adolescents. Presented at: The Endocrine Society Annual Meeting; March 23-26, 2019; New Orleans.
Disclosure: Fourman reports no relevant financial disclosures.