No Association of Cryptococcal Antigenemia with Poor Outcomes among Antiretroviral Therapy-Experienced HIV-Infected Patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

• Authors: Christopher C. Smitson, University of California San Francisco; Admasu Tenna, Addis Ababa University; Mulugeta Tsegaye, All Africa Leprosy, TB and Rehabilitation Training Centre; Abere S. Alemu, Haramya University; Daniel Fekade, Addis Ababa University; Abraham Aseffa, Armauer-Hansen Research Institute; Henry Blumberg, Emory University; Russell Kempker, Emory University
• Journal Title: PLoS ONE
• Volume: Volume 9, Number 1
• Publisher: Public Library of Science | 2014-01-21, Pages e85698-e85698
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0085698
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Medicine and Surgery
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Multidisciplinary Sciences; Science & Technology - Other Topics; MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES; RESOURCE-LIMITED SETTINGS; SOUTH-AFRICA; MORTALITY; METAANALYSIS; INDIVIDUALS; GUIDELINES; MORBIDITY

Abstract

Introduction: There are limited data on clinical outcomes of ART-experienced patients with cryptococcal antigenemia. We assessed clinical outcomes of a predominantly asymptomatic, ART-experienced cohort of HIV+ patients previously found to have a high (8.4%) prevalence of cryptococcal antigenemia. Methods: The study took place at All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitative Training Centre and Black Lion Hospital HIV Clinics in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A retrospective study design was used to perform 12-month follow-up of 367 mostly asymptomatic HIV-infected patients (CD4 < 200 cells/μl) with high levels of antiretroviral therapy use (74%) who were previously screened for cryptococcal antigenemia. Medical chart abstraction was performed approximately one year after initial screening to obtain data on clinic visit history, ART use, CD4 count, opportunistic infections, and patient outcome. We evaluated the association of cryptococcal antigenemia and a composite poor outcome of death and loss to follow-up using logistic regression. Results: Overall, 323 (88%) patients were alive, 8 (2%) dead, and 36 (10%) lost to follow-up. Among the 31 patients with a positive cryptococcal antigen test (titers ≥1:8) at baseline, 28 were alive (all titers ≤1:512), 1 dead and 2 lost to follow-up (titers ≥1:1024). In multivariate analysis, cryptococcal antigenemia was not predictive of a poor outcome (aOR = 1.3, 95% CI 0.3-4.8). A baseline CD4 count < 100 cells/μl was associated with an increased risk of a poor outcome (aOR 3.0, 95% CI 1.4- 6.7) while an increasing CD4 count (aOR 0.1, 95% CI 0.1-0.3) and receiving antiretroviral therapy at last follow-up visit (aOR 0.1, 95% CI 0.02-0.2) were associated with a reduced risk of a poor outcome. Conclusions: Unlike prior ART-naïve cohorts, we found that among persons receiving ART and with CD4 counts < 200 cells/ μl, asymptomatic cryptococcal antigenemia was not predictive of a poor outcome.