Association of cigarette smoking with HIV prognosis among women in the HAART era: a report from the women's interagency HIV study.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the association of cigarette smoking with the effectiveness of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among low-income women.


METHODS
Data were analyzed from the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a multisite longitudinal study up to 7.9 years for 924 women representing 72% of all women who initiated HAART between July 1, 1995, and September 30, 2003.


RESULTS
When Cox's regression was used after control for age, race, hepatitis C infection, illicit drug use, previous antiretroviral therapy, and previous AIDS, smokers on HAART had poorer viral responses (hazard ratio [HR]=0.79; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.67, 0.93) and poorer immunologic response (HR=0.85; 95% CI=0.73, 0.99). A greater risk of virologic rebound (HR=1.39; 95% CI=1.06, 1.69) and more frequent immunologic failure (HR=1.52; 95% CI=1.18, 1.96) were also observed among smokers. There was a higher risk of death (HR=1.53; 95% CI=1.08, 2.19) and a higher risk of developing AIDS (HR=1.36; 95% CI=1.07, 1.72) but no significant difference between smokers and nonsmokers in the risk of death due to AIDS.


CONCLUSIONS
Some of the benefits provided by HAART are negated in cigarette smokers.
Feldman
Joseph G
JG
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. joseph.feldman@downstate.edu
Minkoff
Howard
H
Schneider
Michael F
MF
Gange
Stephen J
SJ
Cohen
Mardge
M
Watts
D Heather
DH
Gandhi
Monica
M
Mocharnuk
Robert S
RS
Anastos
Kathryn
K