Zidovudine: experience at the Newcastle Haemophilia Centre

Zidovudine was first prescribed for patients from the anti-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive cohort of haemophiliacs in Newcastle in May 1987. Prior to this therapy, seven patients had died of acquired immune deficiency syndrome, and episodes of serious opportunistic infection were common. To date, 22 patients have received zidovudine, seven with or without acyclovir in a prospective Wellcome trial. Of the 22 patients, three were children and one was an adult female. All haemophilic patients were infected around 1982 as a result of factor VIII concentrate contamination with HIV. There have been five deaths, two occurring within 6 weeks of the start of zidovudine therapy. A third death was due to myocardial infarction in week 45. The other two deaths occurred at 41 weeks and 47 weeks in transfusion dependent patients. Only three serious opportunistic infections (pneumocystis pneumonia) have been observed in the remaining patients, one within a week of starting therapy and one in a non-compliant patient at week 24. The latter patients had a further episode of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in week 51. The transfusion dependent patients who died presented with anaemia at weeks 5 and 13, and required 48 and 28 units of packed cells respectively. A further patient required a single transfusion at week 7 and at week 43 continues to maintain an acceptable haemoglobin level.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)