Publications by authors named "F Kakkar"
Objectives: While studies have demonstrated increased morbidity and mortality risk in infancy among children who are HIV-exposed and uninfected (CHEU), longitudinal data are limited. The objective of this study was to assess long-term risk of hospitalization among CHEU compared to children who are HIV-unexposed and uninfected (CHUU), and determine risk factors for hospitalization among CHEU.
Design: A longitudinal cohort study (1988-2015) linking the Centre maternel et infantile sur le SIDA cohort (Montreal, Quebec) to administrative data from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ), a universal health insurance provider in the province of Quebec.
Article Synopsis
- A 2.5-month-old girl was diagnosed with methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) due to a deficiency in transcobalamin II, affecting vitamin B12 metabolism, which resulted in failure to thrive and severe low blood cell counts (pancytopenia).
- She developed opportunistic Cytomegalovirus infections and pneumonia, leading to severe respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) after starting vitamin B12 treatment.
- In treating children with lung-related ARDS, doctors should not wait for normal lymphocyte counts to perform necessary invasive procedures for identifying infections, and quick high-dose corticosteroid treatment is crucial for managing inflammation linked to IRIS.
Lower Neutrophil Count Without Clinical Consequence Among Children of African Ancestry Living With HIV in Canada.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr
September 2024
Objective: To investigate the association between African ancestry and neutrophil counts among children living with HIV (CLWH). We also examined whether medications, clinical conditions, hospitalization, or HIV virologic control were associated with low neutrophil counts or African ancestry.
Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of the Early Pediatric Initiation Canada Child Cure Cohort (EPIC4) Study, a multicenter prospective cohort study of CLWH across 8 Canadian pediatric HIV care centers.
While children have experienced less severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) after SARS-CoV-2 infection than adults, the cause of this remains unclear. The objective of this study was to describe the humoral immune response to COVID-19 in child vs. adult household contacts, and to identify predictors of the response over time.
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- Chronic/latent viral infections, particularly in people living with HIV (PLWH), can accelerate immunological aging, and the study investigated their impact on leukocyte telomere length (LTL).
- The research involved 377 participants across various age groups, genders, and HIV statuses, finding that PLWH and older females tend to harbor more chronic/latent viruses, which is linked to shorter LTL.
- Ultimately, the study indicates that persistent viral infections may contribute to immunological aging in PLWH and highlights the need to explore potential health issues associated with this later in life.