Growth in the first 5 years of life is unaffected in children with perinatally-acquired hepatitis C infection

Objectives To identify the effect of vertical hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection or exposure on growth in childhood. Study design Children (n = 1203) born to HCV-infected mothers were followed up from birth prospectively in centers of the European Paediatric Hepatitis C virus Network. Z-scores compared height- and weight-for-age in HCV-infected and -uninfected children, adjusting for other factors using linear regression. We also quantified the effect of maternal chronic infection with HCV on childhood growth. Results There was no significant effect of vertical HCV infection on growth (height P =.223, weight P =.095) nor a significant effect of maternal chronic infection with HCV (height P =.733, weight P =.274). Prematurity and maternal injecting drug use were associated with a significant reduction in height (P <.001) and weight (P <.001) in all HCV-exposed children. Conclusions This population of HCV exposed infants has higher rates of maternal injecting drug use and prematurity than standard populations and so there are implications for growth of these children, but this is not a direct result of HCV infection or exposure to chronic maternal HCV infection.