Failure to maintain high-dose treatment regimens during long-term use of zidovudine in patients with symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection.

Abstract

Long-term tolerance of zidovudine treatment was retrospectively analysed in 97 patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex. After one year of treatment 68% and after two years 87% of the patients had had at least one dose adjustment during their course of therapy.Myelotoxicity was the most common cause (58% of all cases) of dose reductions and therapy interruptions (dose adjustments). At the time ofthe first dose adjustment 33 patients (34%) were suffering from anaemia (Hb < 6-0 g/dl), 20 patients (21%) from leukopenia (leukocytes < 1-5 x 10'), and 10 patients (10%) from thrombocytopenia (thrombocytes <75 x 10'). Fifty-six patients (57%) needed one or more blood transfusions during therapy. The median time from the start of therapy to the time ofthe first dose adjustment was 14 (range: 2-64) weeks in patients who had a first dose adjustment because of anaemia without coexisting leukopenia or thrombocytopenia, and 37 (range: 6-85) weeks in patients who had a first dose adjustment because of leukopenia without co-existing anaemia or thrombocytopenia (p = 0-01). Peripheral blood CD4 positive lymphocyte counts <100/mm3, anaemia, and CDC classification IV-C1 at the start of treatment were associated with a need for an early dose modification or blood transfusion rather than the need for dose modification per se.

High Incidence of Zidovudine Induced Anaemia in HIV Infected Patients in Southern Odisha

“…In our study 14.6 % patients developed AZT induced anaemia as compared to other studies where incidence of AZT induced anaemia were 5.42-16.2 % In majority of patients (93.1 %) meantime for development of anaemia was within 6 months [6], comparable to other studies [7,8]. Two patterns of anaemia development were noted in our study.…”

Prevalence, incidence and risk factors of anaemia in HIV‐positive and HIV‐negative drug users

“…Several studies report that individuals treated with zidovudine have a signi® cantly lower Hb than individuals receiving placebo. 29,30 In the univariate analysis of the longitudinal data zidovudine use was a signi® cant predictor for prevalent anaemia. However, in the multivariate analysis zidovudine therapy was no longer signi® cantly related to prevalent anaemia.…”

Clinical and Socio demographic profile of attendees at ART centre in a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore, India

“…In majority of our patients, anemia developed within 6 months of start of therapy as reported in other studies. [24][25][26] Zidovudine induced anemia developed in 14 out of 55 males and 10 out of 24 female patients who were on Zidovudine based regimens. Maximum number of female patients (41.67%) on Zidovudine based regimens developed anemia when compared to males (25.45%) and results were comparable to study done by Agarwal et al 23 Out of total 78 patients who were on Nevirapine based regimens 3(2.94%) patients developed Nevirapine induced Steven Johnson syndrome and 6(5.88%) developed Nevirapine induced allergy which was not statistically significant.…”