Increased incidence of disseminated histoplasmosis following highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2006 Apr 1;41(4):468-70. doi: 10.1097/01.qai.0000209927.49656.8d.

Abstract

To determine whether the initiation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) had any influence on the incidence of disseminated histoplasmosis, a retrospective cohort study was performed on 1551 patients followed for up to 12 years. After controlling for CD4 counts, age, and sex, patients taking HAART for 2 months or less were more likely to develop disseminated histoplasmosis than untreated patients (respectively, hazard ratio, 3.7 [95% confidence interval, 1.57-8.7]; P = 0.003). In contrast, after 6 months of HAART, treated patients were less likely to develop disseminated histoplasmosis than untreated patients (hazard ratio, 0.6 [95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.98], P = 0.04). This increased incidence suggests that the initiation of HAART and the subsequent immune reconstitution may reveal undiagnosed latent disseminated histoplasmosis.

MeSH terms

  • Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active*
  • Cohort Studies
  • HIV Infections / complications*
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy*
  • Histoplasmosis / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Statistics as Topic
  • Time Factors