The impact of transient combination antiretroviral treatment in early HIV infection on viral suppression and immunologic response in later treatment

OBJECTIVE: Effects of transient combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) initiated during early HIV infection (EHI) remain unclear. We investigate whether this intervention affects viral suppression and CD4(+) cell count increase following its reinitiation in chronic infection (CHI). DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study. METHODS: We identified adult patients from Concerted Action of Seroconversion to AIDS and Death in Europe who seroconverted after 1/1/2000, had a 12 months or less HIV test interval and initiated cART from naive. We classified individuals as ‘pretreated in EHI’ if treated within 6 months of seroconversion, interrupted for at least 12 weeks, and reinitiated during CHI. Statistical analysis was performed using survival analysis methods and mixed models. RESULTS: Pretreated and initiated in CHI groups comprised 202 and 4263 individuals, with median follow-up after CHI treatment 4.5 and 3 years, respectively. Both groups had similar virologic response and relapse rates (P = 0.585 and P = 0.206) but pretreated individuals restarted treatment with higher baseline CD4(+) cell count (∼80 cells/μl; P < 0.001) and retained significantly higher CD4(+) cell count for more than 3 years after treatment (re)initiation. Assuming common baseline CD4(+) cell count, differences in CD4(+) cell count slopes were nonsignificant. Immunovirologic response to CHI treatment was not associated with timing or duration of the transient treatment. CONCLUSION: Although treatment interruptions are not recommended, stopping cART initiated in EHI does not seem to reduce the chance of a successful outcome of treatment in CHI.