title: Higher short-term virologic efficacy of three-class versus two-class highly active antiretroviral salvage therapy in HIV-infected patients.
abstract: The efficacy of two-class versus three-class antiretroviral salvage treatment was analyzed retrospectively in 63 HIV-infected patients in whom highly active antiretroviral therapy failed. Twenty-eight patients (group A) received two-class therapy, and 35 patients (group B) received three-class therapy. After 3 months of treatment, a significantly greater proportion of patients in group B (23/35, 65.7%) than in group A (8/28, 28.5%) showed a > or = 1 log10 decrease in the plasma HIV RNA level (P = 0.0034). However, after 9-12 months, 12 of 23 (52.1%) group B responders showed viral load rebound. The results were partially explained by the finding that, at baseline, the great majority (21/27, 77.7%) of group A patients showed mutations conferring resistance to all drugs administered, whereas in group B patients' susceptibility to at least two drug classes was retained. However, after 9-12 months of therapy, most (18/20, 90%) of the short-term responders in group B showed emergence of additional mutations that hampered long-term response.
authors.affiliation: Laboratori Sperimentali di Ricerca, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldanti
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paolucci
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maserati
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maggiolo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gulminetti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comolli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiesa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gerna
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors