Important note: Information in this article was accurate in August 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; August 19, 2002
Michael Greer, Senior Medical Writer
Albert Faye and colleagues working at Robert Debre Hospital in Paris and other institutions in France conducted a study to "assess tolerance and efficacy of early multitherapy including a protease inhibitor for infants perinatally infected with HIV."
Antiretroviral multitherapy slowed or reversed disease progression in infants, but was hampered by rapid viral resistance, Faye and coauthors found.
The researchers evaluated protease-inhibitor based multitherapy in a group of 31 HIV+ infants. Clinical progression and CD4 cell loss was halted in all of the treated children, without severe drug toxicity, they said.
HIV RNA levels dropped by a median of 2.7 logs after 3 months, and more than half of the treated infants showed viral loads lower than 500 copies/mL after 6 months, study data showed. Two years after the initiation of multitherapy, however, the median viral load reduction had fallen to 1.7 logs, with only 18% of the study group showing viral loads below 500 copies/mL.
Most children with consistently high HIV RNA levels after 6 months carried viral populations with protease and/or reverse transcriptase resistance mutations (Early multitherapy including a protease inhibitor for human immunodeficiency virus type 1-infected infants. Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2002;21(6):518-525).
"Despite the absence of clinical or immunologic progression, the high frequency of virologic failure associated with genotypic resistance reveals the difficulties associated with implementing antiretroviral multitherapy in infants," Faye and colleagues concluded. "Suboptimal doses of protease inhibitor could be a factor contributing to treatment failure."
The corresponding author for this report is A Faye, Hopital Robert Debre, Service d'Hematoimmunology, 48 Blvd. Serurier, F-75019 Paris, France.
Key points reported in this study include:
This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.
020826
AW020811
Copyright © 2002 - Charles Henderson, Publisher. All rights Reserved. Permission to reproduce granted to AEGIS by Charles W. Henderson. Authorization to reproduce for personal use granted granted by C. W. Henderson, Publisher, provided that the fee of US$4.50 per copy, per page is paid directly to the Copyright Clearance Center, 27 Congress Street, Salem, Massachusetts 01970, USA. Published by Charles Henderson, Publisher. Editorial & Publishing Office: P.O. Box 5528, Atlanta, GA 30307-0528 / Telephone: (800) 633-4931; Subscription Office: P.O. Box 830409, Birmingham, AL 35283-0409 / FAX: (205) 995-1588 http://www.newsrx.net
AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, iMetrikus, Inc., the National Library of Medicine, and donations from users like you. Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2002. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright © 1980,2002. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.