Clinical symptoms and courses of primary HIV-1 infection in recent years in Japan.
BACKGROUND
The natural course of HIV-1 infection includes 10 years of an asymptomatic period before the development of AIDS. However, in Japan, the disease progression process seems faster in recent years.


METHODS
The study subjects were 108 new patients with primary HIV-1 infection during the period from 1997 through 2007. We evaluated their clinical symptoms and laboratory data, and then analyzed disease progression in 82 eligible patients. Disease progression was defined as a fall in CD4 count below 350/µL and/or initiation of antiretroviral therapy.


RESULTS
Ninety percent of the patients were infected via homosexual intercourse. All patients had at least one clinical symptom (mean; 4.75±1.99) related to primary HIV-1 infection, with a mean duration of 23.2 days (±14.8) and 53.3% of them had to be hospitalized due to severe symptoms. The mean CD4 count and viral load at first visit were 390/µL (±220.1) and 4.81 log10/mL (±0.78), respectively. None developed AIDS during the study period. Estimates of risk of disease progression were 61.0% at 48 weeks and 82.2% at 144 weeks. In patients who required antiretroviral therapy, the median CD4 count was 215/µL (range, 52-858) at initiation of such therapy. Among the patients with a CD4 count of <350/µL at first visit, 53% never showed recovery of CD4 count (>350/µL) without antiretroviral therapy.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite possible bias in patient population, disease progression seemed faster in symptomatic Japanese patients with recently acquired primary HIV-1 infection than the previously defined natural course of the disease.
AIDS Clinical Center, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Japan.
Hideta
H
Nakamura
Katsuji
K
Teruya
Misao
M
Takano
Kunihisa
K
Tsukada
Junko
J
Tanuma
Hirohisa
H
Yazaki
Haruhito
H
Honda
Miwako
M
Honda
Hiroyuki
H
Gatanaga
Yoshimi
Y
Kikuchi
Shinichi
S
Oka
D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000639:trends; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents