title: Disease progression, adherence, and response to protease inhibitor therapy for HIV infection in an Urban Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
abstract: Indinavir therapy has demonstrated promise in the treatment of HIV-1 infection in clinical trials; however, its efficacy in a U.S. Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where access to therapy is generally unimpeded, is unknown. A review of the Miami cohort was conducted for the year beginning May 1996 to evaluate response to indinavir plus two nucleoside analogues. Of 483 HIV-1-positive patients (97% male; mean age, 46.7+/-9.7 years), 266 were offered indinavir based on their having CD4 counts <200 cells/microl or viral loads >10,000 copies/ml. Of these patients, 36% were adherent and experienced significant reductions in viral loads (-93,325+/-147,911 copies/ml) and elevations in CD4+ (111+/-103 cells/microl) and CD8+ (225+/-338 cells/microl) T cell counts. Adherent patients with baseline CD4 counts <100 cells/microl were 4.5 times more likely to have follow-up viral loads >10,000 copies/ml than those with CD4 >200 cells/microl. Adherent patients with CD4 counts <100 cells/microl did not show evidence of immune "exhaustion" because they were equal to those with CD4 counts >200 cells/microl in their capacity to replenish CD4 cells. Nonadherence to the regimen resulted in loss of therapeutic benefit and suggested that strategies to enhance adherence may become an essential component of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Pathology Service, Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Klimas
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Maggio
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Triplett
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valenzuela
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dickinson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D018450:Disease Progression; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000502:physiology; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D019469:Indinavir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019469:Indinavir