The prevalence and factors associated with an increased risk of renal dysfunction in HIV-infected patients receiving or not receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been poorly evaluated in observational settings.
MethodsPatients in the ICONA Foundation cohort with at least two creatinine values available while still ART-naïve were enrolled in the study. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)o90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 at baseline. The incidence and predictors of a 420% reduction in eGFR from pre-combination ART (cART) levels (or a decrease from ! 90 to o90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ) were evaluated by Poisson regression.
ResultsA total of 1505 patients were included in the study; 363 (24%) had eGFRo90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 at baseline. Older patients [odds ratio (OR) 1.58 per 10 years older; Po0.00001], female patients (OR 2.41 vs. male patients; Po0.00001), those who had diabetes and/or hypertension (OR 2.36 vs. neither; Po0.03) and patients with higher baseline CD4 count (OR 1.06 per 100 cells/mL higher; Po0.03) showed a greater risk of eGFRo90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Ninety-six patients experienced an eGFR decrease of 420% from pre-cART levels (6.8 per 100 person-years). Older age [relative risk (RR) 1.41 per 10 years older; P 5 0.005], female gender (RR 2.25 vs. male; P 5 0.003) and current exposure to didanosine (ddI), tenofovir and protease inhibitors were the major determinants.
ConclusionsWe observed a relatively high rate of mild renal dysfunction in the absence of ART. In addition to traditional risk factors such as older age and diabetes/hypertension, female gender and current use of ddI, tenofovir and protease inhibitors were associated with a greater risk of decreased renal function as measured by eGFR.Keywords: antiretroviral exposure, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), renal impairment [7][8][9][10][11], there are a number of other factors potentially influencing the onset of renal disorders through different mechanisms, whose prevalence may be different in an HIV-positive population compared with the general population. Indeed, patients' longer survival following the introduction of cART may be considered as an additional risk for renal dysfunction, as long-term toxic events associated with the prolonged used of ART have been observed (e.g. metabolic alterations, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular events) [12][13][14]. It has been hypothesized that antiretroviral medications may have a direct effect in increasing the risk of renal dysfunction, and a variety of cART-related effects, including proteinuria, renal tubular damage, interstitial nephritis and overall declines in glomerular filtration rates, have been noted [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23].The potential role of tenofovir in renal toxicity is a current clinical research question. As a consequence of its tolerability, convenient dosing and efficacy, this nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) has been widely used as a component of cART regimens. There are...