title: Inflammatory, procoagulant markers and HIV residual viremia in patients receiving protease inhibitor monotherapy or triple drug therapy: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Protease inhibitor monotherapy is associated with more frequent episodes of viral rebounds above 50 copies/mL than triple therapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate if, compared to triple-drug therapy, protease inhibitor monotherapy is associated with increased levels of inflammatory/procoagulant markers and more frequent plasma residual viremia detection.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, we included patients treated for ≥ 1 year with darunavir/ritonavir or lopinavir/ritonavir as monotherapy (n=72) or with two nucleos(t)ides (n=74). All samples were tested for CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen and D-dimer. Residual viremia was determined using an ultrasensitive qualitative nested-PCR of the HIV pol gene with a limit of detection of 1 copy of HIV-RNA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found no differences in levels of inflammatory/procoagulant markers or in the proportion of patients with plasma residual viremia detection by treatment group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The long-term treatment with protease inhibitor monotherapy in the setting of routine clinical practice is not associated with a higher prevalence of plasma residual viremia or more elevated inflammatory/procoagulant markers levels than triple drug therapy.
authors.affiliation: HIV Unit, Internal Medicine Service, Hospital Universitario La Paz, IdiPAZ, Madrid, Spain. mirestmun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Estébanez
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stella-Ascariz
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mingorance
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pérez-Valero
authors.forename: Jose Ignacio
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Bernardino
authors.forename: Francisco Xavier
authors.initials: FX
authors.lastname: Zamora
authors.forename: Maria Luisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Montes
authors.forename: Juan Julián
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: González-García
authors.forename: José Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Arribas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016207:Cytokines / Q000097:blood*; D000069454:Darunavir; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D061466:Lopinavir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019438:Ritonavir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014766:Viremia / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D017320:HIV Protease Inhibitors; D013449:Sulfonamides; D061466:Lopinavir; D019438:Ritonavir; D000069454:Darunavir