Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
HIV Med. 1 January 2010; Volume 11 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1111/j.1468-1293.2009.00742.x
Laurent C, Bourgeois A, Mpoudi-Ngole E, Kouanfack C, Ciaffi L, et al.
HIV Med. 1 January 2010; Volume 11 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1111/j.1468-1293.2009.00742.x
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA in HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy in Cameroon. METHODS: Baseline blood samples from 169 patients were tested retrospectively for hepatitis B surface antigens (HBsAg), anti-hepatitis B core (anti-HBc), anti-HCV and - if HBsAg or anti-HCV result was positive or indeterminate - for HBV DNA or HCV RNA, respectively, using the Cobas Ampliprep/Cobas TaqMan quantitative assay (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany). RESULTS: HBV DNA was detected in 14 of the 18 patients with positive or indeterminate HBsAg results [8.3% of the total study population, 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.6-13.5]. The median HBV viral load was 2.47 x 10(7) IU/mL [interquartile range (IQR) 3680-1.59 x 10(8); range 270 to >2.2 x 10(8)]. Twenty-one patients (12.4%, 95% CI 7.9-18.4) were found with HCV RNA (all with positive HCV serology). The median HCV viral load was 928 000 IU/mL (IQR 178 400-2.06 x 10(6); range 640-5.5 x 10(6)). No patient was co-infected with HBV and HCV. In multivariate analysis, HCV co-infection was associated with greater age [>or=45 years vs. <45 years, odds ratio (OR) 11.89, 95% CI 3.49-40.55, P<0.001] and abnormal serum alanine aminotransferase level [>or=1.25 x upper limit of normal (ULN) vs. <1.25 x ULN, OR 7.81, 95% CI 1.54-39.66, P=0.01]; HBV co-infection was associated with abnormal serum aspartate aminotransferase level (OR 4.33, 95% CI 1.32-14.17, P=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: These high rates of active HBV and HCV co-infections in HIV-positive Cameroonian patients requiring antiretroviral therapy underline the need to promote: (i) screening for HBV and HCV before treatment initiation; (ii) accessibility to tenofovir (especially in HBV-endemic African countries); and (iii) accessibility to treatment for HBV and HCV infections.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1 June 2008; Volume 48 (Issue 2); DOI:10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181743955
Kouanfack C, Laurent C, Peytavin G, Ciaffi L, Ngolle M, et al.
J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 1 June 2008; Volume 48 (Issue 2); DOI:10.1097/QAI.0b013e3181743955
OBJECTIVES: To compare adherence to antiretroviral therapy using drug level monitoring and self-report and to explore the relation between these 2 methods and viral load measurements. METHODS: Sixty patients received a fixed-dose combination of nevirapine, stavudine, and lamivudine in a clinical study in Cameroon. Adherence was assessed every 6 months until month 36 by nevirapine minimal plasma concentration and self-report. Plasma HIV-1 viral load was determined at the same time. Analyses included 159 complete observations. RESULTS: The proportion of patients labeled as "adherent" was significantly lower using nevirapine monitoring (88.7%, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 82.7 to 93.2) than self-report (97.5%, CI: 93.7 to 99.3; P = 0.002). Virologic failure was associated with the nevirapine concentration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 4.43; P = 0.018) but not with the self-reported adherence (aOR = 0.84; P = 0.9). As compared with the virologic outcome, the sensitivity of nevirapine level monitoring for predicting inadequate adherence was 20.5%, the specificity was 91.7%, the positive predictive value was 44.4%, and the negative predictive value was 78.0%. For self-report, the respective values were 2.6%, 97.5%, 25.0%, and 75.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Drug level monitoring provided a more reliable estimate of adherence than self-report. This method could be used in research settings. Operational research is required to define how to improve the accuracy of the self-report method because it is the most feasible method in clinical practice.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
BMC Infect Dis. 1 December 2012; Volume 12 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/1471-2334-12-147
Calmy A, Balestre E, Bonnet F, Boulle AM, Sprinz E, et al.
BMC Infect Dis. 1 December 2012; Volume 12 (Issue 1); DOI:10.1186/1471-2334-12-147
Changes in CD4 cell counts are poorly documented in individuals with low or moderate-level viremia while on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in resource-limited settings. We assessed the impact of on-going HIV-RNA replication on CD4 cell count slopes in patients treated with a first-line combination ART.