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Children being treated for HIV are more likely to have high cholesterol

Category: HIV

Children with HIV who are treated with medications to prevent the spread of the disease may be more likely to receive unhealthy cholesterol test results later in life, according to a new study published in the Journal of Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndromes.

The researchers wrote in their report that it is well established that children being treated for perinatal HIV infections have high cholesterol levels. However, no one had ever followed the health of these children for any period of time to see if the problems were isolated.

For the study, the team examined 240 babies being treated for HIV infection over a two-year period. The results showed that those who had high cholesterol levels at the outset of the study were likely to still have high levels of blood fats at the end of the study.

The researchers told HealthDay News that their findings indicate that treatment guidelines need to be drawn up that indicate the most effective way to avoid treatment-related high cholesterol in HIV-positive children. Without this, cardiovascular problems could haunt these young people for their entire lives.

"Formal guidelines are the first crucial step in minimizing cardiovascular disease complications and maximizing quality of life in this vulnerable population," they told the news source.