HIV treatment non-adherence is associated with ICU mortality in HIV-positive critically ill patients

Nelson Bf Neto; Luiz G Marin; Bruna G de Souza; Ana Ld Moro; Wagner L Nedel

doi:10.1177/1751143719898977

HIV treatment non-adherence is associated with ICU mortality in HIV-positive critically ill patients

J Intensive Care Soc. 2021 Feb;22(1):47-51. doi: 10.1177/1751143719898977. Epub 2020 Jan 14.

Authors

Nelson Bf Neto¹, Luiz G Marin², Bruna G de Souza³, Ana Ld Moro¹, Wagner L Nedel^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Bruno Born, Lajeado/RS, Brazil.
² Intensive Care Unit, Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil.
³ Infectious Disease Department, Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição, Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil.
⁴ Postgraduate Program in Biochemistry, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil.

Abstract

Introduction: Combined antiretroviral therapy has led to significant decreases in morbidity and mortality in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome patients. Survival among these patients admitted to intensive care units has also improved in the last years. However, the prognostic predictors of human immunodeficiency vírus patients in intensive care units have not been adequately studied. The main objective of this study was to evaluate if non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy is a predictor of hospital mortality.

Methods: A unicentric, retrospective, cohort study composed of patients admitted to a 59-bed mixed intensive care unit including all patients with human immunodeficiency vírus infection. Patients were excluded if exclusive palliative care was established before completing 48 h of intensive care unit admission. Clinical and treatment data were obtained, including demographic records, underlying diseases, Simplified Acute Physiology III score at the time of intensive care unit admission, CD4 lymphocyte count, antiretroviral therapy adherence, admission diagnosis, human immunodeficiency vírus-related diseases, sepsis and use of mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis. The outcome analyzed was hospital mortality.

Results: Overall, 167 patients were included in the study, and intensive care unit mortality was 34.7%. Multivariate analysis indicated that antiretroviral therapy adherence and the Simplified Acute Physiology 3 score were independently related to hospital mortality. antiretroviral therapy adherence was a protective factor (OR 0.2; 95% CI 0.05-0.71; P = 0.01), and Simplified Acute Physiology 3 (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.08; P < 0.01) was associated with increased hospital mortality.

Conclusion: Non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy is associated with hospital mortality in this population. Highly active antiretroviral therapy non-adherence may be associated with other comorbidities that may be associated with a worst prognosis in this scenario.

Keywords: HIV infection; Intensive care unit; antiretroviral agents.