Recently, US investigators have observed that HIV-infected (HIV+) children on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) have a much greater cumulative incidence of asthma.Regulatory T cells may mitigate the pathogenicity of asthma through the suppression of Th2 responses. Since asthma is predominantly a TH2 mediated condition, we propose that new onset of asthma after HAART in HIV- infected children may be secondary to dysregulated immune reconstitution. The restoration of CD4+ T cell-mediated immunity in HIV+ patients treated with HAART may lead to airway inflammation, narrowing, hyperresponsiveness, and possibly remodeling.
The increased incidence of asthma in HIV-infected children treated with HAART is likely secondary to multiple factors that may include hypersensitivity to certain aeroallergens, dysregulation of effector and regulatory T cell response, as well as the imbalance of TH1 vs. TH2 cytokines. Therefore this study will identify the immunopathogenesis of increased airway hyperresponsiveness in HIV-positive patients.
