title: Zidovudine- versus Tenofovir-Based Antiretroviral Therapy for the Initial Treatment of HIV Infection in the Ethnic Minority Region of Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China.
abstract: Tenofovir (TDF)-based highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), as recommended by the World Health Organization guidelines for HIV-naive patients, has been limited in resource-constrained settings. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of zidovudine-(ZDV) versus TDF-based HAART in the Yi minority region of Sichuan Province, China at a single HIV treatment center.
  
  
  
  The primary end point was the attainment of an HIV viral load <50 copies/mL. Secondary end points included change in CD4 level, adverse reactions, mortality, and sustained virologic suppression.
  
  
  
  Of the 361 total participants, recipients of TDF-based HAART were more likely to achieve viral load <50 copies/mL (60% versus 46%, odds ratio [OR] = 1.7, P = .016) as well as sustained virologic suppression (61% versus 28%, OR = 3.4, P = .001). Tenofovir (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj] = 1.71, P = .025) and female sex (ORadj= 1.93, P = .003) were identified as independent predictors of achieving HIV viral load <50 copies/mL in the multivariate logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  
  Among Chinese Yi minority HIV-infected participants, TDF-based HAART was superior to ZDV-based HAART for initial treatment of HIV infection, suggesting TDF-based HAART should be the regimen of choice in China.
authors.affiliation: 1 MSI Professional Services, San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Cedric P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.affiliation: 2 Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
authors.forename: Wen Hong
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: 3 Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shuter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000072230:Sustained Virologic Response; D000068698:Tenofovir / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult; D015215:Zidovudine / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents; D015215:Zidovudine; D000068698:Tenofovir
keywords: HAART; HIV; HIV viral load; tenofovir; zidovudine