Therapeutic Response of HAART and Analysis of Related Factors in Korean HIV-infected Persons

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recently, 2.1 persons per day are reported to be HIV infected and totally more than 4,500 HIV infected persons have been officially reported until 2006 in Korea. We started highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV patients from 1997. Data on the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy are limited in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HIV infected patients treated with HAART for more than 1 year were included. We studied the therapeutic response of antiretroviral therapy in patients with AIDS and without previous antiretroviral therapy who were treated until Dec 2005 in Severance hospital. RESULTS: More than 450 were diagnosed as HIV infected in Severance hospital. Among these HIV infected patients, 141 patients including 14 females were included. 121 of the 141 patients (85.8%) were treated with PI based regimen, and 20(14.2%) were treated with NNRTI based regimen. The initial mean CD4 T cell count was 207/mm3 (IQR 73-299) and the mean HIV RNA level was 70,800 copies/mL. After 6 months of HAART, 103 patients (73%) had fewer than 400 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. After 12 months of HAART, 90 patients (63.8%) had fewer than 50 copies of HIV RNA copies/mL. The mean increase in the CD4 T cell count from baseline to 12 months was 143 cells/mm3. After 12 months, 96 patients (68.1%) had increased more than 100 cells/mm3. CONCLUSION: This report the therapeutic response of HAART in Korea which the prevalence of HIV infection is now increasing. Overall, the outcomes are similar to those in other developed countries. Further large scale prospective cohort study is needed.