[A study of initial antiretroviral therapy effectiveness, survival and safety in HIV+ patients]

To study initial antiretroviral therapies indicated for HIV-infected patients during the 2001-2003 period regarding effectiveness, survival and safety.

A descriptive, retrospective study of clinical and drug-related variables of naïve HIV-infected patients through pharmacotherapeutic history.

Mean CD4+ lymphocytes counts were 209.6 cells/mm3. Pneumonia by Pneumocystis carinii was the most commonly found condition at antiretroviral treatment onset. Most commonly used therapies included those based on a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) combined with two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). The longest mean survival was achieved by using combinations of three nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. The primary reason for initial antiretroviral therapy discontinuation were adverse effects, with stavudine exhibiting the poorest tolerability.

Therapies based on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and protease inhibitors (PIs) have shown similar effectiveness to increase CD4+ cell counts. Regarding viral load decreases, protease inhibitors were most effective. Therapies using three nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors resulted in peak survival.