Safety of long-term interruption of successful antiretroviral therapy: the ATHENA cohort study.
We studied the dynamics of CD4 cell counts after the interruption of virologically successful highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in 139 patients. Changes in CD4 cell counts during HAART interruption followed a biphasic pattern: an initial rapid decline during the first month followed by a slow decrease. During 48 weeks of follow-up mean CD4 cell counts remained just above the mean pre-HAART level. This limits the feasibility of structured treatment interruptions for patients with low nadir CD4 cell counts.
Wit
Ferdinand Wnm
FW
International Antiviral Therapy Evaluation Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Blanckenberg
Daniel H
DH
Brinkman
Kees
K
Prins
Jan M
JM
van der Ende
Marchina E
ME
Schneider
Margriet Me
MM
Mulder
Jan-Willem
JW
de Wolf
Frank
F
Lange
Joep Ma
JM
D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019562:Viral Load
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents