Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
PLOS One. 1 December 2011; Volume 6 (Issue 12); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0028066
Isaakidis P, Cox HS, Varghese B, Montaldo C, Da Silva E, et al.
PLOS One. 1 December 2011; Volume 6 (Issue 12); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0028066
India carries one quarter of the global burden of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and has an estimated 2.5 million people living with HIV. Despite this reality, provision of treatment for MDR-TB is extremely limited, particularly for HIV-infected individuals. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been treating HIV-infected MDR-TB patients in Mumbai since May 2007. This is the first report of treatment outcomes among HIV-infected MDR-TB patients in India.
Journal Article > ResearchAbstract
Int Health. 24 August 2012; Volume 4 (Issue 4); 239-245.; DOI:10.1016/j.inhe.2012.04.002
Isaakidis P, Mansoor H, Zachariah R, Da Silva E, Varghese B, et al.
Int Health. 24 August 2012; Volume 4 (Issue 4); 239-245.; DOI:10.1016/j.inhe.2012.04.002
Treatment experiences with patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) in resource-limited settings remain poorly documented. This study aimed to evaluate the treatment outcomes in a cohort of HIV/HBV co-infected individuals receiving tenofovir/lamivudine (TDF/3TC)-based antiretroviral therapy (ART) in a programmatic setting in Mumbai, India. Additionally, a cross-sectional laboratory study was carried out measuring serologic and virologic parameters. A total of 57 patients who received TDF/3TC were included in the study. Of these, 52 (91%) were male and the mean age was 38.7 years. The median follow-up period was 16.8 months (IQR:7.9-37.9). Forty-three patients were included in the cross-sectional laboratory study, of whom 38 (67%) were HBeAg(+) positive. Four patients had serum HBsAg conversion to negative and had developed anti-HBs-antibodies. HBV-DNA became undetectable (<1.3 log10 copies/ml or <20 IU/ml) in 35.5% and 75% of the HBeAg(+) and HBeAg(-) patients, respectively. Overall, 46.5% of patients had undetectable HBV-DNA and 90.7% had adequately suppressed HBV-DNA (<3.3 log10 copies/ml or <2000 IU/ml). The median reduction in serum HBV-DNA was 6 log10 copies/ml. In 29 patients (63%) HIV viral load was undetectable. Outcomes included seven (12%) deaths, four (7%) lost to follow-up, one (2%) transferred out and 45 (79%) alive and on treatment. In conclusion, good treatment outcomes were achieved in a cohort of HIV/HBV co-infected patients in India. In regions with a high HIV/HBV burden, all HIV-infected individuals should be tested for chronic hepatitis B. A TDF/3TC-backbone could be considered as first-line standardized ART regimen in these settings.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
Int J Womens Health. 12 August 2013; DOI:10.2147/IJWH.S47710
Isaakidis P, Pimple S, Varghese B, Khan S, Mansoor H, et al.
Int J Womens Health. 12 August 2013; DOI:10.2147/IJWH.S47710
HIV-infected women are at a higher risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cancer than women in the general population, partly due to a high prevalence of persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. The aim of the study was to assess the burden of HPV infection, cervical abnormalities, and cervical cancer among a cohort of HIV-infected women as part of a routine screening in an urban overpopulated slum setting in Mumbai, India.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
PLOS One. 11 July 2011; Volume 7 (Issue 7); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0040781
Isaakidis P, Varghese B, Mansoor H, Cox HS, Ladomirska J, et al.
PLOS One. 11 July 2011; Volume 7 (Issue 7); DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0040781
Significant adverse events (AE) have been reported in patients receiving medications for multidrug- and extensively-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB & XDR-TB). However, there is little prospective data on AE in MDR- or XDR-TB/HIV co-infected patients on antituberculosis and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in programmatic settings.