IngentaConnect Within and between race differences in lymphocyte, CD4+, CD8+ and...

Authors: Bunders, Madeleine¹; Lugada, Eric²; Mermin, Jonathan²; Downing, Robert²; Were, Willy²; Thorne, Claire¹; Newell, Marie-Louise¹; The European Collaborative Study,¹

Source: Annals of Tropical Paediatrics: International Child Health, Volume 26, Number 3, September 2006 , pp. 169-179(11)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

Abstract:

Background: Racial immuno-haematological differences have been reported in children but to date have not been well quantified.

Aim: To investigate differences in haemato-immunological markers over age between children born and living in Europe and Uganda.

Subjects: HIV-uninfected children living in Uganda (n=1633) with cross-sectional data. Black (n=604) and white children (n=1355) living in Europe, both with prospective data. The children born in Europe were HIV-uninfected but born to HIV-infected mothers and were included in the European Collaborative Study (ECS).

Methods: Patterns and levels of total lymphocyte (TLC), CD4+, CD8+ counts and CD4% were visualised by smoothers (a line representing the weighted average of all measurements over age by study group). Differences between groups were quantified using age-standardised Z-scores for individual TLC, CD4+ and CD8+ counts in uni- and multivariate regression models.

Results: In infancy, TLC, CD4+ and CD8+ counts were lower in Ugandan than black European children; neutrophil counts were similar. Thereafter, only neutrophil counts were lower in Ugandan children. To assess within-race differences, we compared Z-scores of ECS children born to Ugandan mothers with those of Ugandan children. Levels of all four markers were lower in Ugandan children at all ages. In Ugandan children, CD4+ counts were 0.5985 Z-score (p<0.001) and neutrophil counts 0.3872 Z-score (p<0.001) lower than in European children born to Ugandan mothers.

Conclusions: There are differences in levels of haemato-immunological markers in children with comparable genetic backgrounds, suggesting that environmental factors such as nutrition and exposure to micro-organisms might have important effects on the developing immune system.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1179/146532806X120255

Affiliations: 1: Centre for Paediatric Epidemiology, Institute of Child Health, University College, London, UK 2: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Uganda, Global AIDS Program, National Centre for HIV, STD and TB, and Uganda Virus Research Institute, Entebbe, Uganda

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Within and between race differences in lymphocyte, CD4+, CD8+ and neutrophil levels in HIV-uninfected children with or without HIV exposure in Europe and Uganda