HealthDay News — According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics, many HIV-infected patients have rapid and successful immune and virological responses to antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Marysabel Silveira, PhD, from the Universidade Federal de Pelotas in Brazil, and colleagues conducted a longitudinal observational study involving adult outpatients from a HIV/AIDS clinic. 332 patients were followed for at least 12 months after enrollment.
The researchers found that 43% of patients had indications of stable immune status before starting ART. The median CD4 cell count was 179 cells/mm³ and increased to 379.5 cells/mm³. There was an increase in the proportion of patients with CD4 cell count ≥200 cells/mm³ from 76 to 83% and an increase in undetectable viral load (UVL) from 51.7 to 73%.
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Female gender, pre-treatment CD4 count ≥200 cells/mm³, previous UVL and treatment with 3 drugs versus 4 or more correlated with immune success at the end of follow-up. UVL and use of 3 drugs compared with 4 or more correlated with virological success.
“These results further support the ongoing need for ongoing programs to increase early HIV testing, early linkage to and treatment with ART and increased viral suppression,” the authors write.
Reference
Silveira M, et al. “Long-Term Immune And Virological Response In HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy”. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics. 2016 September 27. doi: 10.1111/jcpt.12450. [Epub ahead of print]
