title: Complications associated with NRTI therapy: update on clinical features and possible pathogenic mechanisms.
abstract: The availability of durable, effective antiretroviral therapy for HIV-infected patients has fundamentally altered the prognosis of this disease and has also increased awareness that long-term drug toxicities have the potential to cause significant morbidity and even mortality in this patient population. The long-term use of nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) drugs has been associated with a number of clinically relevant toxicities including hyperlactataemia and lactic acidosis, neuropathy, pancreatitis and, more recently, a syndrome of pathological loss of subcutaneous fat tissue (lipoatrophy). Importantly, the toxicity profile of each NRTI drug within this class is unique in terms of the overall risk of long-term complications, as well as the tissue specificity of its toxic effects. In this review, the clinical manifestations, risk factors and pathological basis for NRTI-associated toxicity syndromes are explored, with an emphasis on clinical assessment and management.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Immunology and Biomedical Statistics, Royal Perth Hospital and Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nolan
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mallal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors