Serum Vitamin D is Differentially Associated with Socioemotional Adjustment in Early School-Aged Ugandan Children According to Perinatal HIV Status and In Utero/Peripartum Antiretroviral Exposure History

oleh: William Yakah, Jenifer I. Fenton, Alla Sikorskii, Sarah K. Zalwango, Robert Tuke, Philippa Musoke, Michael J. Boivin, Bruno Giordani, Amara E. Ezeamama

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2019-07-01

Deskripsi

An impact of vitamin D in neurocognitive function has been theorized but it remains unknown whether vitamin-D insufficiency (VDI) is associated with worse socio-emotional adjustment (SEA) in vulnerable early school-aged children. This study examines the thesis that deficits in SEA are related to VDI using longitudinal data from 254 children that are perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV), exposed-uninfected (HEU), or unexposed-uninfected (HUU). In utero/peripartum antiretroviral (IPA) exposure was established per medical record documentation of biological mother&#8217;s ART regimen in pregnancy. Four caregiver-reported age- and sex-standardized measures of SEA were obtained at months 0, 6, and 12 for dependent children aged 6&#8722;10 years: externalizing problems (EPC), internalizing problems (IPC), behavioral symptoms index (BSI), and adaptive skills index (ASI). VDI was highly prevalent (74%, <i>n</i> = 188), and its association with change in SEA measures over 12 months varied by HIV-status (VDI*HIV, all <i>p</i>-values &lt; 0.03). There was further variation in relationship of vitamin-D to SEA by IPA among PHIV (for ASI, BSI, and EPC, vitamin-D*IPA, <i>p</i>-value &#8804; 0.01) and HEU (for BSI and EPC, vitamin-D*IPA, <i>p</i>-value &#8804; 0.04). Among HUU, BSI (&#946; = &#8722;0.32, 95% CI: &#8722;0.50, &#8722;0.13), IPC (&#946; = &#8722;0.28, 95% CI: &#8722;0.47, &#8722;0.09), and EPC (&#946; = &#8722;0.20, 95% CI: &#8722;0.37, &#8722;0.02) all declined moderately per quartile increment in VD. Among PHIV, on the one hand higher vitamin D predicted ASI gains (moderate vs. low VD, &#946; = 0.52, <i>p</i> = 0.002), but this protective association was absent for BSI, EPC, and IPC (&#946; = 0.36&#8722;0.77, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). In absence of IPA-exposure, increasing vitamin-D predicted declines in BSI and EPC (moderate vs. low Vitamin D, &#946; = &#8722;0.56 to &#8722;0.71, <i>p</i> &#8804; 0.02) among HEU. However, given IPA exposure among HEU, higher VDI predicted moderate elevation in BSI (&#946; = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.78) and IPC (&#946; = 0.48, 95% CI: 0.05, 0.92). Interaction between VD and IPA exposure for SEA outcomes among HEU and PHIV children warrants further investigation. The vitamin-D associated SEA improvement among HUU and HEU without IPA exposure suggests vitamin-D supplementation may remediate behavioral and adaptive deficits in this groups.