Effect of Patient Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy on CD4+ Cell Count, HIV-1 RNA, and Serum Concentrations of Tumor Necrosis Factor and its Soluble Receptors

A 1-year prospective analysis of patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy (zidovudine plus zalcitabine [55 patients] or zidovudine plus zalcitabine plus saquinavir [32 patients]) was performed in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients attended at a tertiary care hospital. Adherence to therapy was measured jointly by pharmacy records, patients' self-recording, and an increase in mean corpuscular volume. Likewise, the effects of therapy on clinical parameters, HIV load, CD4+ cell count, and serum levels of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and its soluble receptors were analyzed. Twenty-seven patients of those on a double-agent regimen and 12 of those on a triple-agent regimen adhered to the treatment. Ten opportunistic events occurred in noncompliant patients versus none in compliant individuals. A significant increase in CD4+ cell count and a decrease in HIV viral load were observed only in patients who adhered to therapy. TNF and its soluble receptors remained elevated at the end of follow-up, even in patients in whom the HIV viral load decreased to <400 copies/ml. In conclusion, adherence to therapy must be considered a major factor influencing the results of antiretroviral therapy. Although these treatments have been demonstrated to be efficacious, they are not able to normalize the immune activation markers. These data suggest a suboptimal effect of antiretroviral therapy on the eradication of HIV-1.