Introduction: The timing of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) initiation and regimen combination treatment for HIV-infected patients are parameters requiring assessment, since they decisively influence results. The aim of the study was to evaluate initial HAART in HIV-infected patients in our hospital.
Materials and methods: Retrospective study of the first 6 months after initiation of HAART in all treatment-naive adult patients so treated from January 2001 to June 2002. Baseline plasma viral load (PVL) and CD4+ count and HAART combination regimens were analyzed as well as therapy effectiveness and safety at 12 and 24 weeks after initiation of treatment.
Results: HAART was initiated in 85 patients, 45 of which met the inclusion criteria. Eighty seven percent (87%) of the patients had a baseline CD4+ count < 350 cells/microl. Fifty-nine percent of treatments consisted of regimens based on non-nucleoside analogs, 34% were based on protease inhibitors, and 7% on nucleosides. The CD4+ count increased in 78 and 73% of patients at the 12th and 24th week respectively, and the percentage of patients with no detectable PVL was 67 and 71%, respectively. No significant differences in effectiveness were seen between the different combination regimens.
Conclusions: In most cases HAART may recover immune status and control PVL in treatment-naive HIV-infected patients. No differences were seen between combination regimens at the initiation of therapy.