Immunologic Response to Combination Nucleoside Analogue plus Protease Inhibitor Therapy in Stable Antiretroviral Therapy–Experienced Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Children (original) (raw)

The response of 40 immunologic parameters was studied for 147 clinically stable, protease inhibitor-naive, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children aged 2-17 years when antiretroviral therapy was changed to either a dual nucleoside analogue regimen or a protease inhibitor-containing regimen. Immunologic response to therapy, as measured by lymphocyte subsets, 3-color flow cytometric measures, and lymphoproliferative assays, were investigated for changes in weeks 44 and 48. The most significant changes after baseline that were associated with the administration of a protease inhibitor-containing regimen were seen for percentages of CD8 + /CD38 + /HLA-DR + , CD8 + /CD95 + /CD28 Ϫ , and CD8. The percentages of CD8 + /CD38 + / HLA-DR + and CD8 + /CD95 + /CD28 Ϫ decreased from baseline medians of 33% and 46% to medians of 18% and 30% at week 44 ( for both). Median CD4 cell count increased P ! .0001