Determinants of heterogeneous adherence to HIV-antiretroviral therapies in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study
Article Abstract:
HIV patients who are poor, African-American, or who take many different AIDS drugs are less likely to comply with their treatment, according to a study of 539 men. A drug holiday was not detrimental as long as the patient was completely compliant with the treatment.
Publication Name: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (1999)
Subject: Health
ISSN: 1525-4135
Year: 2001
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Zidovudine use in AIDS-free HIV-1 seropositive homosexual men in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), 1987-1989
Article Abstract:
Zidovudine (ZDV, also known as AZT) has been shown to delay the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to AIDS-related complex (ARC) and AIDS, and to reduce the death rate of patients with AIDS. A Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) examined the use of ZDV in 1,195 homosexual men who had antibodies against HIV (HIV-positive), but did not have clinical symptoms of AIDS. Data concerning the use of ZDV, participation in clinical drug trials, and laboratory tests of the subjects' blood were collected every six months, from 1987 to 1989. The use of ZDV by HIV-positive individuals rose from 3.6 present at the start of the study to 23 percent by the end of the study. In individuals who had low levels of CD4+ lymphocytes, indicative of a failing immune system, the use of ZDV increased from 24 percent to 69 percent by the end of the study. The use of ZDV in patients with ARC rose from 23 percent at the beginning of the study to 65 percent. These data reveal that a large percent of HIV-positive individuals, who are at high risk for developing AIDS, are still not receiving ZDV, and indicate that many high-risk patients are being undertreated. The sociodemographic, clinical, and blood variables of the subjects were analyzed to see if any factors (other than participation in drug trials) could predict the likelihood of beginning treatment with ZDV. The variable that was best associated with the initiation of treatment with ZDV was the number of CD4+ cells; when CD4+ levels fell, individuals began treatment with ZDV. Symptoms of ARC and AIDS and the educational level of the patients were also weakly associated with the initiation of ZDV treatment. Other factors not analyzed in this study, such as the cost of the drug, the restrictions of the patient's insurance to pay for the treatment, and preferences of the individual, may also be important for understanding when individuals use ZDV. The study did not find any difference in demographics or clinical status between HIV-positive individuals who participated in clinical trials and those who did not. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0894-9255
Year: 1991
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Virologic and serologic markers of rapid progression to AIDS after HIV-1 seroconversion
Article Abstract:
A weak immune response to the initial infection with HIV may predict those patients who will progress rapidly to AIDS. Researchers took regular blood samples from 17 HIV-infected people who ultimately developed AIDS in less than 3 years and 42 who were free of AIDS for 6 years or longer. In all cases, the time of seroconversion was known. At the first visit after seroconversion, those who progressed rapidly had higher levels of virus in their blood and low levels of protective antibodies, compared to those who did not progress to AIDS.
Publication Name: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology
Subject: Health
ISSN: 1077-9450
Year: 1996
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