Background: A favorable development of CD4+ T cells was firstly noticed in therapy-naive HIV-patients without antiretroviral therapy (ART) taking 5 mg prednisolone daily. This observation led to the prescription of prednisolone during structured therapy interruptions (STI).
Objective: To evaluate the effect of low dose prednisolone on pre-treated patients during STI.
Methods: A retrospective analysis including all pre-treated patients with prednisolone therapy for > or =6 months during STI has been conducted. The patients with prednisolone onset right at the beginning of STI (n = 95) were compared with all patients without prednisolone therapy during their first 6 months of STI (n = 49). Patients with prednisolone were divided into two subgroups: the ongoing STI-group and the patients with ART-restart. Additionally, the development of all 33 patients from the control group having started prednisolone later during STI was documented. Irrespective of the time of initiation of prednisolone therapy during STI, the development of CD4+ T cells in all patients with prednisolone for >12 months during STI was analyzed (n = 108).
Results: The mean daily CD4+ T cell decrease during STI was significantly less pronounced in the prednisolone-group (-0.50 vs. -0.74 cells/day; p = 0.0361). The daily CD4+ T cell decline of the 33 patients from the control subgroup including patients with a later onset of prednisolone therapy was only -0.11 during a mean time of 715 days under prednisolone. The CD4+ T cell count of the STI-patients treated with prednisolone for >12 months (n = 108; mean: 837 days +/- 64.6 (366-1,756 days)) decreased from 677/microl to 504/microl. - 51 of 81 patients (63%) included in 2-year-analysis showed stable CD4+ T cell counts (mean daily CD4+ T cell decrease: 0.08) and continued ART interruption.
Conclusion: This retrospective evaluation provides evidence that low dose corticosteroids are associated with less decrease of CD4+ T cell count in pre-treated HIV patients resulting in prolongation of the potential time of structured treatment interruptions for many HIV patients.