Renal involvement in HIV-infection. Results from the Frankfurt AIDS Cohort Study (FACS) and a review of the literature.

The current report describes the experience from the Frankfurt AIDS Cohort Study with patients suffering from renal failure. The clinical data of 4993 HIV-infected patients between 1983 and 1998 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were seen at least twice a year and clinical features, routine laboratory results, including CD4+ cell counts, concomittant diseases, and antiretroviral therapy were documented by standardized methods. The incidence of renal failure during 4 observation periods with different antiretroviral treatment strategies are compared and data are discussed. Within the 16 years of observation 47 patients with impairement of their kidney function were identified. A trend to an increase of RF could be documented (chi superset2 -for trend p = 0.0246). The additional review intends to summarize the diverse reasons leading to renal dysfunction in HIV-infected individuals with special emphasis on glomerular disease and renal complications related to HIV therapy.