title: [Efficiency and safety of antiretroviral treatment among the elderly in Abidjan].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of antiretroviral treatment in elderly people followed at the Unit for Infectious and Tropical Diseases at the University Hospital in Abidjan.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective descriptive study of the files of people aged at least 60 years, infected by HIV who were treated and followed-up in the Unit between 1 January 1999 and 31 December 2006. We analysed sociodemographic (age, sex), clinical (weight, Karnofsky scale, CDC, opportunistic infections), biological (HIV, CD4, haemogram, glycaemia, creatininaemia, transaminasaemia) and therapeutic (antiretroviral regimens, evolution, side-effects) parameters. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated as the percentage of patients with < 200 CD4/ml, and its safety was based on deleterious effects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 62 patients (44 men, 18 women), of whom 13 had been treated (21%), 46 had not been treated (74.2%) and 48 (77.4%) were undergoing chemoprophy-laxis with cotrimoxazole. Most were infected with HIV1 (93.6%), 3.2% with HIV2 and 3.2% with both HIV1 and HIV2. The majority (93.3%) was symptomatic, and 67.8% had AIDS. During 34 months of follow-up, 48 patients (77.4%) received first-line treatment, 13 (21%) received second-line and only one patient (1.6%) had third-line treatment. The percentage of patients with more than 200 CD4/ml increased from 20% at baseline to 36% at 6 months and 39% at 12 months. The main clinical side-effect was peripheral neuropathy (30.5%), and the main biological effect was hypertransaminasaemia > 2N (32.3%). The median rate of loss to follow-up was 17.7%, and two patients (3.2%) died.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antiretroviral treatment is effective in the elderly, with few biological disorders. A prospective study of a larger sample would elucidate the differences from younger people in the efficacy of such treatment.
authors: Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales, BP V3 CHU de Treichville, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali. aristotanon@yahoo.fr
authors: A K
authors: AK
authors: Tanon
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Binan
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Minta
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Ehui
authors: I
authors: I
authors: Ouattara
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Mossou
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Kouakou
authors: S P
authors: SP
authors: Eholié
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Aoussi
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Bissagnéné
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015497:HIV-1; D015498:HIV-2; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents