0000000000456319
AUTHOR
F. Ceccherini-silberstein
Is physician assessment of alcohol consumption useful in predicting risk of severe liver disease among people with HIV and HIV/HCV co-infection?
AbstractBackgroundAlcohol consumption is a known risk factor for liver disease in HIV-infected populations. Therefore, knowledge of alcohol consumption behaviour and risk of disease progression associated with hazardous drinking are important in the overall management of HIV disease. We aimed at assessing the usefulness of routine data collected on alcohol consumption in predicting risk of severe liver disease (SLD) among people living with HIV (PLWHIV) with or without hepatitis C infection seen for routine clinical care in Italy.MethodsWe included PLWHIV from two observational cohorts in Italy (ICONA and HepaICONA). Alcohol consumption was assessed by physician interview and categorized ac…
Resistance test guided retreatment of HCV infected patients with a previous failure to a NS5A inhibitor-containing regimen: the Italian Vironet C real life experience
Previous article in issueNext article in issue Introduction: There is a limited documentation about the retreatment of patients failing a recommended NS5A-containing regimen in Italy. Materials & methods: Within the VIRONET-C network, 386 NS5A-failing patients infected with different HCV-genotypes (GT) (GT1a/1b/2a-c/3a-b-g-h/4a-d-n-o-v=93/124/19/112/38) were analyzed. Retreatment of 105 failures was investigated. HCV-resistance-test was performed by Sanger-sequencing. Results: Failures following seven different NS5A-containing regimens were studied: 3D/2D (paritaprevir/ombitasvir ± dasabuvir) ± ribavirin (N = 72/4), daclatasvir/ledipasvir/velpatasvir + sofosbuvir ± ribavirin (N = 105/13…
Virological response and retention in care according to time of starting ART in Italy: data from the Icona Foundation Study cohort
Abstract Objectives To describe: (i) factors associated with rapid and delayed ART initiation; (ii) rates of 12 week virological response; and (iii) virologically controlled retention in care by 1 year from ART initiation according to timing of start in a real-life setting. Methods All individuals in the Icona cohort diagnosed with HIV in 2016–17 who initiated ART were grouped according to the time between HIV diagnosis and ART initiation: Group 1, ≤7 days; Group 2, 8–14 days; Group 3, 15–30 days; Group 4, 31–120 days; and Group 5, >120 days. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with: (i) the probability of rapid (Group 1) and very delayed…
Resistance analysis and treatment outcomes in hepatitis C virus genotype 3-infected patients within the Italian network VIRONET-C
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the role of resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) to direct-acting-antivirals (DAAs) in HCV genotype 3 (GT3). Methods: Within the Italian VIRONET-C network, a total of 539 GT3-infected patients (417 DAA-naïve and 135 DAA-failures, of them, 13 at both baseline and failure) were analysed. Sanger sequencing of NS3/NS5A/NS5B was performed following home-made protocols. Results: The majority of patients were male (79.4%), 91.4% were injection drug users, 49.3% were cirrhotic and 13.9% were HIV co-infected. Phylogenetic analysis classified sequences as GT3a-b-g-h (98%-0.4%-0.2%-1.2%) respectively. Overall, 135 patients failed a DAA regimen: sofosbuvir (SO…
Risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer of early versus delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy
BACKGROUND: Immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 cell count reduces risk for AIDS and non-AIDS-related events in asymptomatic, HIV-positive persons and is the standard of care. However, most HIV-positive persons initiate ART when their CD4 count decreases below 500 × 10 9 cells/L. Consequences of delayed ART on risk for non-AIDS-defining and AIDS-defining cancer, one of the most common reasons for death in HIV, are unclear. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the long-term risk difference for cancer with the immediate ART strategy.DESIGN: Multinational prospective cohort study.SETTING: The D:A:D (Data collection on Adverse events of anti-HIV Drugs) study, which included…
The impact of DAA-mediated HCV eradication on CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte trajectories in HIV/HCV coinfected patients: Data from the ICONA Foundation Cohort
HCV infection has been hypothesized as a contributor of poor CD4+ recovery in patients living with HIV (PLWHIV). Aim of this study was to evaluate CD4+, CD8+ cells and CD4/CD8 ratio trends before and after HCV treatment with direct acting agents (DAA) in PLWHIV. HIV/HCV patients enrolled in ICONA and HepaICONA cohorts with HIV-RNA≤50 copies/ml who achieved a sustained viral response after DAA treatment were studied. A linear regression model was used to investigate CD4+, CD8+ and CD4/CD8 changes 12 months before and after DAA treatment. A total of 939 HIV/HCV patients were included, 225 (24.0%) female, median age: 53 years (IQR 50–56). At DAA initiation, CD4+ T cell count was <350 cells/…
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Continuum of Care in 11 European Union Countries at the End of 2016 Overall and by Key Population: Have We Made Progress?
Abstract Background High uptake of antiretroviral treatment (ART) is essential to reduce human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission and related mortality; however, gaps in care exist. We aimed to construct the continuum of HIV care (CoC) in 2016 in 11 European Union (EU) countries, overall and by key population and sex. To estimate progress toward the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90-90-90 target, we compared 2016 to 2013 estimates for the same countries, representing 73% of the population in the region. Methods A CoC with the following 4 stages was constructed: number of people living with HIV (PLHIV); proportion of PLHIV diagnosed; proportion of those diagnosed …
Effectiveness of dolutegravir-based regimens as either first-line or switch antiretroviral therapy: data from the Icona cohort
Introduction: Concerns about dolutegravir (DTG) tolerability in the real-life setting have recently arisen. We aimed to estimate the risk of treatment discontinuation and virological failure of DTG-based regimens from a large cohort of HIV-infected individuals. Methods: We performed a multicentre, observational study including all antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve and virologically suppressed treatment-experienced (TE) patients from the Icona (Italian Cohort Naïve Antiretrovirals) cohort who started, for the first time, a DTG-based regimen from January 2015 to December 2017. We estimated the cumulative risk of DTG discontinuation regardless of the reason and for toxicity, and of virologica…
Switching to dual/monotherapy determines an increase in CD8+ in HIV-infected individuals: An observational cohort study
Background The CD4/CD8 ratio has been associated with the risk of AIDS and non-AIDS events. We describe trends in immunological parameters in people who underwent a switch to monotherapy or dual therapy, compared to a control group remaining on triple antiretroviral therapy (ART). Methods We included patients in Icona who started a three-drug combination ART regimen from an ART-naïve status and achieved a viral load ≤ 50 copies/mL; they were subsequently switched to another triple or to a mono or double regimen. Standard linear regression at fixed points in time (12-24 months after the switch) and linear mixed model analysis with random intercepts and slopes were used to compare CD4 and CD8…