Interleukin-10 and Interferon Gamma Levels in Long Term Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV Infected Children at the Bamenda Regional Hospital

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection induces persistent immune dysregulation characterized by alterations in cytokine production, even among children receiving effective antiretroviral therapy (ART). Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ), a key type-1 cytokine involved in antiviral immunity, and interleukin-10 (IL-10), a regulatory type-2 cytokine, play important roles in balancing immune activation and inflammation. However, the impact of HIV infection and long-term ART on these cytokine profiles among children remains incompletely understood. This study evaluated plasma concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-10 among HIV-infected children receiving ART compared with HIV-negative controls. Methods: A hospital-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 78 children at Bamenda Regional Hospital, Cameroon, from July to December 2021. Participants included 40 HIV-positive children receiving ART and 38 HIV-negative controls. Plasma concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-10 were quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (R&D Systems- Quantikine® ELISA). Demographic and clinical data was collected, and statistical analyses was performed using appropriate comparative and correlation tests, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05 in SPSS version 21. Ethical considerations were critically observed. Results: The study population was predominantly female (87.2%; n = 68), with children aged 3 - 4 years representing the majority (61.5%; n = 48). Plasma IL-10 concentrations ranged from 16.15 to 551.20 pg/mL and did not differ significantly between HIV-positive children and controls (p = 0.08). IL-10 levels showed a very weak positive correlation with viral load (r = 0.044), which was not statistically significant (p = 0.69). Among HIV-positive children, IL-10 concentrations were higher in males (370.96 pg/mL) compared with females (289.38 pg/mL), although this difference was not significant (p = 0.10). Similarly, IL-10 concentrations did not differ significantly between children with viral loads ≤ 40 copies/mL and those with >40 copies/mL (p = 0.69). Plasma IFN-γ concentrations ranged from 2.74 to 432.00 pg/mL and were significantly different between HIV-positive children and controls (p = 0.019). IFN-γ levels were not significantly correlated with viral load (p = 0.34) and showed no significant association with gender (p = 0.49). Among HIV-infected children, IL-10 concentrations were significantly higher than IFN-γ concentrations (319.05 pg/mL vs 168.77 pg/mL; p = 0.001). Conclusion: HIV-infected children receiving ART demonstrated persistent alterations in cytokine profiles, characterized by significantly altered IFN-γ responses and a predominance of IL-10 over IFN-γ production. These findings suggest incomplete immune restoration despite ART-mediated viral suppression and highlight the potential role of cytokine monitoring in evaluating immune recovery among children living with HIV.