We analyzed differences in response to combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) according to sex and geographic origin in a retrospective comparative study of Spanish-born and immigrant patients ...initiating cART.
The primary endpoint was time to treatment failure (TTF), defined as virological failure, death, opportunistic infection, interruption of cART, or loss to follow-up. Late diagnosis was defined as a CD4+ cell count ≤ 200 cells/mm3 and/or AIDS at initiation of cART. Survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression.
We followed 1,090 patients, of whom 318 were women (45.6% immigrant women IW). At initiation of treatment, women had a higher CD4+ count than men (217 vs 190 cells/mm3), a lower viral load (4.7 vs 5 log), and fewer were late starters (49% vs 59%). The adjusted risk of TTF between women and men was not significantly different (hazard ratio HR, 1.10; 95% CI, 0.79-1.53). TTF was shorter among IW than Spanish-born women (124 weeks 95% CI, 64-183 vs 151 95% CI, 127-174) and loss to follow-up was double that of Spanish-born women (25.5% vs 11.6%).
Although response to cART was similar for both sexes, men started treatment later. IW were more frequently lost to follow-up and switched treatment. Measures to improve medical follow-up after initiation of cART should be promoted among this minority group.
Acute appendicitis is an uncommon complication of infectious mononucleosis (IM) and can readily be misdiagnosed because of the acute abdominal pain with which patients with IM occasionally present. A ...case report is presented of a patient with IM who developed acute appendicitis during the acute phase of the illness. The appendicitis progressed to the formation of an abscess, which was evacuated at surgery. Histologic examination of the appendix showed absence of lymphoid follicles in the mucosal layer and intense lymphoid infiltration of the mucosa and submucosa by a mixed diffuse proliferation of lymphoid cells with groups of immunoblasts scattered among them. The lymphoid infiltrate was mainly composed of T lymphocytes; the anticomplementary immunofluorescent staining of the appendix for EBNA (Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen) was negative. Three cases of appendicitis complicating IM published in the literature are reviewed. All had clinical and histopathologic features similar to those of our patient and were cured after surgery. Our case report together with the literature review confirms that appendicitis in the acute phase of IM has distinct clinical and histopathologic features and thus has to be considered a true complication of IM rather than merely a simultaneous disease.
To assess the Efficacy and safety of switching from HAART containing enfuvirtide to raltegravir as a simplification strategy in patients with viral suppression and intolerance to enfuvirtide.
...Thirty-six patients with sustained plasma HIV RNA levels <50 copies/mL for at least 3 months with injection site reactions and/or injection fatigue while receiving an enfuvirtide-containing optimized background regimen switched from enfuvirtide to raltegravir (400 mg bid).
Patientshad received enfuvirtide for a median of 96 weeks and had sustained HIV RNA <50 copies/ mL for a median of 95 weeks. One patient discontinued raltegravir due to the appearance of cutaneous rash (grade 2) unresponsive to antihistamines after 19 days of starting raltegravir. The remaining 35 patients were followed for 24 weeks and 18 of them for 48 weeks. All patients maintained virological suppression <50 copies/mL at Weeks 24 and 48. No patient had blips in their viral load after switching to raltegravir. There were no grade 3 or 4 adverse events related to raltegravir.
A switch from enfuvirtide to raltegravir in virologically suppressed patients who are highly treatment-experienced maintained both virologic and immunologic efficacy up to 48 weeks.
To estimate the impact of toxicity related to nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI) on the total cost of medical care in HIV-1-infected patients.
. A pharmacoeconomic model was ...developed from the data obtained by a prospective, observational, multicenter study performed in Spain (Recover). The study patients had developed one NRTI-associated adverse event (AE) that justified discontinuation of treatment with the drug. All costs derived from NRTI-associated AEs in the HAART regimens of HIV-1-infected patients over a period of one year were assessed. The cost assessment (2005 values) included direct medical costs (drugs and AE management) and indirect costs (loss of productivity). The healthcare resources used in AE management were estimated by an expert panel of clinicians.
The use and cost of resources rose with increasing severity of all the AE. The average total cost per patient was estimated to be 4012 euro, which included 1789 euro in drug costs (NRTI associated with therapy discontinuation due to AE), and 2223 euro in direct and indirect costs of AE management (45% and 55% of total cost, respectively). Seventy-three per cent of AE-associated costs per patient came from lipoatrophy (560 euro), lipodystropy (535 euro) and peripheral neuropathy (533 euro).
Management of NRTI-related toxicities is more costly than NRTI acquisition and produces a significant increase in the overall healthcare expenditure for HIV-1-infected patients. This fact should be taken into account when designing the most efficient antiretroviral treatment strategies.
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