This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

Advanced HIV disease associated with decline in lung function

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

SEATTLE — Patients with advanced and uncontrolled HIV had a more rapid decline in lung function, according to research presented here.

The study included 1,064 participants whose data were collected as part of the AIDS Linked to the Intravenous Experience (ALIVE) study, an observational cohort of injection drug users with and without HIV. Researchers used data from this study to estimate the effects of HIV infection, RNA levels and CD4 cell count on annual decline in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), after adjusting for demographics and smoking status. Among the participants, there were 4,555 spirometry measurements taken during 2.75 years of observation.

The prevalence of obstructive lung disease was 16% and did not differ by HIV status. After adjustment for age, sex, race, BMI and smoking pattern, HIV was associated with a 174 mL lower absolute FEV1 between those with undetectable HIV RNA or RNA of 400 copies/mL to 75,000 copies/mL. Those with an HIV RNA of more than 75,000 copies/mL had a significantly greater FEV1 decline, which persisted after adjusting for antiretroviral therapy use. Those with CD4 counts from 100 cells/mm³ to 200 cells/mm³ and less than 100 cells/mm³ also had more rapid FEV1 decline.

Michael Drummond, MD

“These findings suggest that markers of advanced and uncontrolled HIV disease are associated with more rapid decline in lung function.” Michael Drummond, MD, assistant professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told Infectious Disease News. “Importantly, the FEV1 decline associated with uncontrolled HIV exceeds the effect of smoking in the general population. Although more studies are needed, these findings imply that optimal antiretroviral therapy with HIV virus suppression may diminish accelerated lung function decline in HIV-infected smokers.”

For more information:

• Drummond M. #126LB. Presented at: 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; March 5-9, 2012; Seattle.

Disclosure: Dr. Drummond reports no relevant financial disclosures.

Follow InfectiousDiseaseNews.com on Twitter.