Human immunodeficiency virus infection and hemophilic children's growth in Egypt

ABSTRACT

Forty multitransfused Egyptian Hemophiliacs [thirty Pediatrics and ten Adults were tested for anti HTLV [111] and HIV [1], the growth hormone, insulin, cortisol. thyroid hormones were also estimated. The growth parameters of the thirty Hemophilic boys were evaluated. Two pediatric hemophilic patients with HIV had significant growth failure and significantly lowered serum growth hormone level [GH] of 1.8 ng/ml and 1.4 ng/ml compared to the mean GH level of children with normal stature [3.4 +/- 0.4 ng/ml]. Other endocrine evaluation revealed that none of the pediatric hemophilic group had thyroid deficiency [T4 9 +/- 1.2micro g/dl, T3 140+56 ng/dl. TSH 3.l +/- 0.9 micro U/ ml]. None had insulin deficiency 5 +/- 2.4 micro U/ml versus control 4 +/- 1.6 micro U/ml. It appears that growth failure is not rare in boys with Hemophilia and HIV infection and this might be due to direct effect on the physiologic secretion of growth hormone