title: Virological and immunological responses to HAART in asymptomatic therapy-naive HIV-1-infected subjects according to CD4 cell count.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  When to start highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in asymptomatic chronically HIV-1-infected subjects with CD4 cell counts of 300 x 10(6)-500 x 10(6)/l is debated extensively. Retrospective analyses of virological and immunological responses following HAART have been evaluated in both blood and lymph nodes according to pre-treatment levels of CD4 cells either above or below 500 x 10(6)/l.
  
  
  METHODS
  Open-label, observational, non-randomized, prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Outpatients attending the Centre of Clinical Investigation in Infectious Diseases, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four HIV-1-infected antiretroviral-naive subjects with CD4 cell count > or = 250 x 10(6)/l and plasma viraemia > or = 5000 copies/ml who had been treated with HAART for at least 48 weeks. Controls were 49 HIV-negative subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients received abacavir, nelfinavir, saquinavir soft gel capsules, and amprenavir in varying combinations for 72 weeks.
  
  
  METHODS
  The extent of immune reconstitution following HAART in 43 and 11 subjects with either more or fewer than 500 x 10(6) CD4 cells/l at baseline was evaluated in blood and lymph node, and compared with immunological measures observed in 49 HIV-negative controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After 48 weeks of therapy, plasma viraemia was suppressed effectively in both groups of patients. Normalization of both CD4 cell count in blood, divided equally between memory and naive cells, and percentage of CD4 cells in lymph nodes occurred in the two groups. Consistently, the net increase over baseline in CD4 cell count and in memory and naive CD4 subsets was greater in patients with fewer than 500 x 10(6) CD4 cells/l at baseline. Recovery of HIV-specific responses was similar in the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study suggests that virological and immunological responses are comparable in asymptomatic therapy-naive HIV-1-infected subjects with CD4 cell counts above or below 500 x 10(6)/l.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Rizzardi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tambussi
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Bart
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Chapuis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lazzarin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pantaleo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000946:Antigens, Fungal / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000276:immunology; D002219:Carbamates; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005663:Furans; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D019888:Nelfinavir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019258:Saquinavir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D000099227:Abacavir
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000946:Antigens, Fungal; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D002219:Carbamates; D015224:Dideoxynucleosides; D005663:Furans; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D019888:Nelfinavir; D012367:RNA, Viral; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors; D019258:Saquinavir; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000099227:Abacavir; C095108:amprenavir