Prior antiretroviral therapy experience protects against zidovudine-related anaemia

Abstract

Objective: We investigated the use of antiretroviral therapy regimens containing zidovudine or stavudine, using data from the TREAT Asia HIV Observational Database (TAHOD), a multicentre, prospective, observational study of an HIV-infected cohort in the Asia-Pacific Region.

Methods: A proportional hazards regression analysis of factors associated with the time to discontinuation of initial regimens containing zidovudine or stavudine and a logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with a diagnosis of anaemia within 6 months of commencement of zidovudine in initial or subsequent regimens were performed.

Results: Patients who started zidovudine were more likely to stop within the first 9 months of treatment than those who started on stavudine; the reverse was true after 9 months. Anaemia (haemoglobin<or=10 g/dL) occurred in the first 6 months in 57 of 433 patients (13%) on zidovudine. Baseline anaemia was the strongest predictive factor for subsequent anaemia, and prior antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience was protective for development of anaemia.

Conclusions: These data support baseline haemoglobin testing and avoidance of zidovudine if the patient is anaemic. The protective effect of prior ART for development of anaemia on zidovudine supports the short-term safety of a stavudine to zidovudine switch with routine haemoglobin monitoring in this cohort. Further studies in resource-poor settings of longer term efficacy and toxicities of ART switch strategies are needed.