Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2004 Nov 15;39(10):1500-6.
doi: 10.1086/424882. Epub 2004 Oct 22.

Long-term follow-up of HIV-infected individuals who have significant increases in CD4+ cell counts during antiretroviral therapy

Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Long-term follow-up of HIV-infected individuals who have significant increases in CD4+ cell counts during antiretroviral therapy

Susan L Koletar et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: Descriptions of the durability and consequences of immune reconstitution in patients who start highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) while severely immunosuppressed are limited.

Methods: Patients with previous CD4+ cell counts <50 cells/mm3, all of whom had HAART-induced increases in CD4+ cell counts of >100 cells/mm3 on 2 separate occasions (measured sequentially at least 4 weeks apart), were enrolled in a prospective trial and observed every 16-32 weeks. Evaluations included assessments for new opportunistic complications, virologic (human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] RNA load) and immunologic (CD4+ cell count) responses, or death.

Results: The median follow-up duration for 612 subjects was 184 weeks (range, 8-216 weeks). The rate of increase in CD4+ cell counts was approximately 5.9 cells/mm3 every 8 weeks, with the degree of increase associated with the baseline HIV RNA load (<500 vs. > or =500 copies/mL). Subsequent measurements of virologic suppression based on HIV RNA levels were also associated with predicted CD4+ cell responses. Thirty-three AIDS-defining illnesses were reported (1.75 events per 100 person-years of follow-up); >40% (14 cases) occurred with higher than expected CD4+ cell counts.

Conclusions: CD4+ cell count increases are related to virological control, with continuing increases seen in individuals who are immunosuppressed. Opportunistic illnesses and/or complications are infrequent but can occur at any time, even in patients who maintained an elevated CD4+ cell count.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Publication types