According to a new study based on computer models, the survival rates of HIV patients who were monitored with laboratory tests were almost the same as those patients who were not monitored. Although the results must still be verified, they could influence how HIV patients in developing countries are treated.
The research was based on computer modeling and used simulated patient details based on HIV's progress in real patients. The scientists then projected patient survival under monitored or unmonitored scenarios for up to 20 years. Data from actual patients are not yet available.
The researchers, Andrew Phillips and his Royal Free and University College Medical School colleagues, found that 83 percent of patients who were monitored with lab tests survived five years, compared with 82 percent for those without testing. Through two decades, 67 percent of patients who were monitored with laboratory testing were still alive versus 64 percent for those not monitored.
"Laboratory monitoring shouldn't be the priority while we've got less than half of people who need treatment still waiting for it," Phillips said.
In Western countries, HIV patients undergo routine lab tests about every six months, while in poorer countries, most patients are simply monitored by a doctor or nurse.
"In an ideal world, you would want lab support everywhere," said Charlie Gilks, one of the study's authors. "But right now we need to continue to roll out the medicines because that is what's going to save lives."
The study, "Outcomes from Monitoring of Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource-Limited Settings with Viral Load, CD4 Cell Count, or Clinical Observation Alone: A Computer Simulation Model," was published in The Lancet (2008;371:1443-1451).
04/25/08
UK: HIV Patients May Not Need Regular Lab Tests While Taking Antiretroviral Drugs, Study Says
Source: Associated Press:: Maria Cheng; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention