Sleep Studies in HIV+ Older Children/Adolescents

BACKGROUND:

In the growing number of HIV infected youth and young adults, it is important to study the effects of HAART treatment on sleep patterns and related neurocognitive and psychosocial function.

DESIGN NARRATIVE (including primary and secondary outcomes):

Using validated sleep questionnaires and actigraphy measurements, overnight polysomnography (PSG, sleep study) will assess the degree of abnormal sleeping patterns and daytime sleepiness in HIV infected children and HIV uninfected children (control group).

The following peripheral blood levels will be measured over a 24-hour period, at multiple time points, in all participants: TNF-alphaRI and IL-6 (sleep-regulating cytokines); IFN-gamma and IL-12 (cytotoxic or TH1 cytokines); and IL-10 and IL-1RA (inflammatory or TH2 cytokines). This will help to determine the association between alterations in sleep-regulating cytokines and HIV disease progression (CD4+ T-cell count, HIV-1 RNA level).