Absence of Effect of Menopause Status at Initiation of First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy on Immunologic or Virologic Responses: A Cohort Study from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Guilherme Amaral Calvet - Luciane Velasque - Paula Mendes Luz - Sandra Wagner Cardoso - Monica Derrico - Ronaldo Ismério Moreira - Angela Cristina Vasconcelos de Andrade - Andrea Cytryn - Elaine Pires - Valdiléa Gonçalves Veloso - Beatriz Grinsztejn - Ruth Khalili Friedman

Publicado no PLOS ONE em 2014.

                                                                                 


Resumo

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of first-line combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Methods: ART-naïve women initiating cART between January 2000/June 2010 at the Instituto de Pesquisa Clínica Evandro Chagas Cohort were studied. Women were defined as postmenopausal after 12 consecutive months of amenorrhea. CD4 cell counts and HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) measurements were compared between pre- and postmenopausal at 6, 12 and 24 months after cART initiation. Women who modified/discontinued a drug class or died due to an AIDS defining illness were classified as ART-failures. Variables were compared using Wilcoxon test, x2 or Fisher’s exact test. The odds of cART effectiveness (VL,400 copies/mL and/or no need to change cART) were compared using logistic regression. Linear model was used to access relationship between CD4 change and menopause. Results: Among 383 women, 328 (85%) were premenopausal and 55 (15%) postmenopausal. Median pre cART CD4 counts were 231 and 208 cells/mm3 (p = 0.14) in pre- and postmenopausal women, respectively. No difference in the median pre cART VL was found (both 4.8 copies/mL). Median CD4 changes were similar at 6 and 12 months. At 24 months after cART initiation, CD4 changes among postmenopausal women were significantly lower among premenopausal women (p = 0.01). When the analysis was restricted to women with VL,400 copies/mL, no statistical difference was observed. Overall, 63.7% achieved cART effectiveness at 24 months without differences between groups at 6, 12 and 24 months. Conclusion: Menopause status at the time of first-line cART initiation does not impact CD4 cell changes at 24 months among women with a virologic response. No relationship between menopause status and virologic response was observed.

                                                                                 

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