Influence of the viral subtype in the progression of HIV patients
Fonseca Gómez, C.; Pérez Avila, J.; Pérez Santos, L.
Revista Cubana de Medicina Tropical 59(3): 247-253
2007
ISSN/ISBN: 0375-0760 PMID: 23427464 Document Number: 609326
A longitudinal study of 161 HIV-positive patients seen at "Pedro Kouri" Institute of Tropical Medicine was conducted to assess the influence of viral recombination in the outcome of patients infected by the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The cohort was divided into two groups: Recombinant and Non Recombinant, depending on the viral subtype or recombinant form accounting for the infection. The participants from each group were observed for 18 months and compared in terms of time to developing AIDS, frequency of opportunistic diseases, survival and speed of reduction of CD4 T lymphocytes. Average time to AIDS was 4.09 +/- 3.8 years for patients in the Recombinant group and 3.62 +/- 2.56 years for patients in the Non Recombinant group (KW 0.14 p=0.73). The survival probability at 10 years after diagnosis was 16 % for Recombinant group and only 8 % for Non Recombinant group (Log Rank 0.11 p = 0.73). The CD4 T lymphocytes decreased at a rate of 86.29 +/- 70.27 cell/microl per year in patients of the Recombinant group and 117.96 +/- 190.6 cel/microl per year in patients of the Non Recombinant group(t 1.36 p = 0.17). We concluded that patients of the Recombinant group had slower progression to AIDS and higher survival probability at 10 years compared to the patients in the Non Recombinant group, although these differences were not statistically significant.