Maternal breastfeeding and education impact infant growth and development more than in utero HIV/ART exposure in context of universal ART: a prospective study

Abstract

Background: Exposure to HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in utero may influence infant growth and development. Most available evidence predates adoption of universal ART (Option B+ ART regimens). In a recent cohort, we compared growth and development in HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) to HIV-unexposed (HUU) infants. Design: Prospective cohort study: data from Impact of Maternal HIV on Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection among Peripartum Women and their Infants (MiTIPS) in Western Kenya. Methods: Women were enrolled during pregnancy. Mother-infant pairs were followed until 24 months postpartum. We used multivariable linear mixed-effects models to compare growth rates (weight-for-age z-score [WAZ] and height-for-age z-score [HAZ]) and multivariable linear regression to compare overall development between HEU and HUU children. Results: About 51.8% (184/355) of the infants were HEU, 3.9% low birthweight (<2.5 kg), and 8.5% preterm (<37 gestational weeks). During pregnancy, all mothers of HEU received ART; 67.9% started ART pre-pregnancy, and 87.3% received 3TC/FTC,TDF,EFV. In longitudinal analyses, HEU children did not differ significantly from HUU in growth or development (p > 0.05 for all). In the combined HEU/HUU cohort, higher maternal education was associated with significantly better growth and development: WAZ (β=0.18 [95% CI:0.01, 0.34]), HAZ (β=0.26 [95% CI:0.04, 0.48], and development (β=0.24 [95% CI:0.02, 0.46]). Breastfeeding was associated with significantly better HAZ (β=0.42 [95% CI:0.19, 0.66]) and development (β=0.31 [95% CI:0.08, 0.53]). Conclusion: HEU children in the setting of universal maternal ART had a similar growth trajectory and development to HUU children. Breastfeeding and maternal education improved children's weight, height, and overall development irrespective of maternal HIV status.