title: The prognosis of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) treated HIV infected patients in Serbia, related to the time of treatment initiation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) an impressive improvement in patient survival and quality of life has bee observed. However, the optimal timing of initial HAART is still under consideration.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prognosis of HAART treated patients in Serbia, related to the timing of HAART initiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A series of 563 patients on HAART was retrospectively analyzed to investigate treatment response and survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean of 6 years (range 1-14) of treatment with PI-based and/or NNRTI-based regimens, a favorable response was achieved in 72.4%, treatment failure occurred in 7.9%, while 19.7% had a dissociative immunological/virological response. If treatment was initiated during primary HIV infection it took a shorter time to achieve a favorable response than in patients who began HAART in chronic HIV infection (2.7+/-2.2 years vs. 6.9+/-2.7 years, P<0.01). A higher proportion of patients with primary HIV infection then those treated in the chronic phase achieved a favorable response to HAART (88.4% vs. 71.9%, P=0.045). Patients who initiated HAART when their CD4 cell counts were below 200 cells/microL needed longer treatment for favorable response (8 years vs. 6 years, log rank P<0.01). Forty-seven (8.3%) patients died. The overall estimated survival was 13 years. Patients older then 40 and IVDU were more likely to die during HAART (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1-5.9, P=0.016, and OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0-3.7, P=0.02, respectively). However, reaching and maintaining undetectable viremia was an independent predictor of longer survival (OR 11.3, 95% CI 4.6-27.7, P<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reaching and maintaining undetectable viremia during HAART predicted longer survival, even if sub-clinical immunodeficiency remained.
authors.affiliation: University of Belgrade School of Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia. djordjejevtovic@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Dj
authors.initials: Dj
authors.lastname: Jevtović
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salemović
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ranin
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dulović
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ilić
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brmbolić
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055771:Serbia; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D019562:Viral Load; D014766:Viremia / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents