Long-term clinical outcome of human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with discordant immunologic and virologic responses to a protease inhibitor-containing regimen.

Within a prospective cohort of 150 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who began first-line protease inhibitor therapy in 1996, the outcome of 42 patients with discrepant virologic and immunologic responses to antiretroviral treatment at 12 months was analyzed at 30 months of treatment. The incidence of AIDS-defining events and deaths (14%) in the group of patients with immunologic responses in the absence of a virologic response was higher than that in full-responder patients (2%); yet, the incidence in this group was lower than that in patients with no immunologic response, despite a virologic response (21%), and was lower than that in patients without an immunologic or virologic response (67%; P<.0001, log-rank test). Differences in outcome were significant (relative risk, 6.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-39.3) when factors for progression were compared with those of responder patients. The results support the relevance of the CD4 cell marker over plasma HIV load for predicting clinical outcome in patients who do not achieve full immunologic and virologic responses.