Abstract: Objective To investigate the detection of plasma lactic acid in HIV infected children treated with antiviral therapy and analyze its related influencing factors.
Methods Thirty-one HIV infected children who were treated with antiretrovirus therapy and 30 control children were chosen to detect their plasma lactic acid levels. The children’s basic information, therapeutic schedule and laboratory test results were all taken into account in analysis of the relationship with plasma lactic acid.
Results Plasma lactic acid of HIV infected children(2.32±0.60 mmol/L) were higher than control children(1.60±0.88 mmol/L)(P<0.01). There were no significant differences in plasma lactic acid levels between d4T group and AZT group. No significant differences were found in baseline CD4+T cell numbers, baseline viral load, sex, age and route of HIV transmission(P>0.05) between the two groups. No statistically significant differences were found among the groups(P>0.05).
Conclusion Peripheral blood lactic acid could reflect the mitochondrial toxicity of children receiving anti-retrovirus therapy and may become a new marker of mitochondrial toxicity testing.

Key words: human immunodeficiency virus type 1, children, anti-retrovirus therapy, lactic acid, mitochondrial toxicity