[Survival of HIV women and HAART therapy]

To assess antiretroviral treatment in women with HIV infection, to evaluate the evolution of the disease and to establish the survival rate of these patients.

A retrospective study performed from 1985 to December, 2004. Seventy-five women, chosen randomly from all patients attending the Out-patients Department, Arnau de Vilanova Hospital, Spain. All patients were over 18 years of age, with HIV infection and undergoing antiretroviral treatment. Patients were divided into two groups according to the starting date of therapy, before or after the year 1997 when a significant change in antiretroviral therapy took place, referring both to the number of drugs used and their potency.

A comparison was made regarding the epidemiological and demographic profile, the initial and final treatment, the efficacy of antiretroviral treatment, the evolution of the HIV infection and the survival rate between both groups of patients.

Sixty-six point seven per cent (66.7%) of the patients in the first group and 85.2% of patients in the second had negative viral loads at study end. Forty-seven point nine per cent (47.9%) of patients starting treatment before 1997, maintained CD4 lymphocyte counts above 500 cells/mL compared with 59.3% of the patients who started treatment after 1997. There were only 6 deaths, which corresponded to the first group of patients.

The data obtained from our study suggests that antiretroviral treatment is effective in both groups of patients, and has enabled good evolution and lengthened the survival rate.