(P17-001-25) A Longitudinal Study of Serum Fatty Acid Levels and Mental Health Outcomes Over 12 Months Among Ugandan Adolescents Affected by Perinatal HIV Exposure/Infection

Objectives: To quantify the association between longitudinally assessed polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) levels and time-averaged mental health outcomes among Ugandan adolescents and determine if this association differs by perinatal HIV status. It was hypothesized that increased ω-6 PUFAs predicted worse mental health outcomes, and that these associations would be stronger in adolescents with perinatal HIV exposure/infection.

Methods: Ugandan adolescents with perinatal HIV infection (APHIV, n=126), exposed but uninfected (AHEU, n=133), and unexposed and uninfected (AHUU, n=124) were recruited. Self-reported measures of depression, anxiety, and social stress were assessed using the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-3 (BASC-3) at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months, while serum fatty acid levels were measured at baseline for all adolescents and at 6 and 12 months for 37% of the cohort. Adjusted linear mixed-effects models analyzed relationships between longitudinal fatty acid tertiles and age/sex standardized mental health z-scores. Results are presented as mean differences (MDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and results stratified by perinatal HIV status are reported if there was a significant PUFA*HIV interaction (p < 0.10).

Results: Among all adolescents, moderate and high v. low total ω-6 PUFA levels were associated with higher levels of self-reported depression (MD [95% CI] moderate: 0.30 [0.13, 0.48]; high: 0.21 [0.00, 0.43]), and social stress (moderate: 0.34 [0.16, 0.51]; high: 0.25 [0.03, 0.47]). Further, among APHIV, moderate v. low total ω-6 PUFA levels were associated with higher self-reported anxiety (0.52 [0.22, 0.82]).

Conclusions: Within this cohort, high total ω-6 were associated with depression and social stress over 12 months. Among APHIV, moderate total ω-6 PUFA were associated with increased anxiety over 12 months. Further research is needed to evaluate the mechanistic role of ω-6 PUFA in influencing mental health dysphoria in populations affected by perinatal HIV.

Funding Sources: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health