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Effectiveness of first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients: A 5-year longitudinal evaluation in Fujian Province, Southeast China

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients in Southeast China. A total of 450 eligible patients were selected to initiate first-line antiretroviral therapy from February 2005 through August 2009. During the study period from 2009 through 2013, each subject received clinical and laboratory monitoring for effectiveness, safety and toxicity once every 3 months in the first year, and once every 6 months in the following years. The response to first-line antiretroviral therapy was evaluated through body weight gain and immunological and virological outcomes. During the mean follow-up period of 70.86 ± 28.9 months, the overall mortality was 14.2 %. The mean body weight and CD4+ counts increased significantly following antiretroviral therapy as compared to baselines across the follow-up period, and the rate of immunological effectiveness was over 85 % in all subjects at 2 to 5 years of treatment. The rate of inhibition of HIV virus was 87.67 %, 89.32 %, 91.73 %, 92.8 % and 91.63 % across the study period. In addition, significant differences were detected after treatment as compared to baselines, and Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between immunological effectiveness and viral inhibition. Forty-eight percent of the subjects changed antiretroviral drugs once, and 16.22 % twice, and 31 patients switched from first-line to second-line antiretroviral therapy. Long-term antiretroviral therapy remains effective for treatment of HIV/AIDS, resulting in higher mean body weight, effective viral inhibition and a higher CD4 count. Immunological effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy positively correlates with HIV viral inhibition.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by a grant from the Scientific and Research Project of Fujian Provincial Department of Health for Young Investigators (grant no. 2013-1-14) and the Personal Supporting Projects of Health Department in Fujian Province of China (2015-ZQN-ZD-11). We are thankful to all participants for their kind cooperation.

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Fujian Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, No. 76 Jintai Road, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China

      Shouli Wu, Yuefeng Qiu, Pingping Yan, Meirong Xie, Pincang Xia, Zhenghua Wang & Yansheng Yan

    2. Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Zoonosis Research, No. 76 Jintai Road, Fuzhou, 350001, Fujian, China

      Shouli Wu, Pingping Yan & Yansheng Yan

    3. School of Public Health, Fujian Medical University, No. 88 Jiaotong Road, Fuzhou, 350004, Fujian, China

      Shouli Wu & Yansheng Yan

    4. Jiangsu Institute of Parasitic Diseases, Key Laboratory on Technology for Parasitic Diseases Prevention and Control, National Health and Family Planning Commission, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Parasites, 117 Yangxiang, Meiyuan, Wuxi, 214064, Jiangsu, China

      Wei Wang

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    S. Wu and Y. Qiu contributed equally to this work.

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    Wu, S., Qiu, Y., Yan, P. et al. Effectiveness of first-line antiretroviral therapy in HIV/AIDS patients: A 5-year longitudinal evaluation in Fujian Province, Southeast China. Arch Virol 160, 2693–2701 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-015-2583-z

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