Differentiating HIV-associated nephropathy from antiretroviral drug-induced nephropathy: a clinical challenge

Assessment of the Effect of HAART on Renal Function of HIV Patients Attending the Bamenda Regional Hospital, Cameroon

Background:

Management of HIV involves a life-long administration of a cocktail of antiretroviral drugs, some of which have been known for their nephrotoxicity. Despite the increasing access to this combination therapy, Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) information on its renal effect is still scarce and contradictory. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of HAART on the renal function of HIV-infected patients attending the Bamenda Regional Hospital, Cameroon.

Methods:

This was a comparative hospital-based cross-sectional study involving HIV positive and negative individuals who visited the Day clinic of the Bamenda Regional Hospital during the study period. Spectrophotometry was used to quantify the renal markers. Glomerular Filtration Rate was determined by the 24 hours creatinine clearance method. Blood urea nitrogen was calculated from serum urea concentrations. Renal impairment was then classified according to the National Kidney Foundation clinical practice guideline. Data were analysed on SPSS version 21 using Student t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation. The level of significance was set at p<0.05.

Results:

A total of 201 participants were enrolled in this study, of which 144(71.6%) were females. Their ages ranged between 22 to 60 years with a mean age of 37.4 ± 9.6 years. The participants were divided into 3 study groups; HIV negative, HAART-naïve and the HAART experienced groups. The HAART experienced group had a significantly higher mean BUN and BUN-Creatinine ratio (p= 0.001 and 0.003 respectively) as well as the least creatinine clearance (p= 0.017) when compared to the other groups meanwhile the HAART-naive group had a significantly higher mean urine protein (p= 0.026) when compared to the other two categories. There was no association between renal dysfunction and the HAART regimen as well as adherence to treatment.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrated that though the participants on HAART had decreased renal function, the mean Creatinine clearance was not statistically different from that of the participants not yet on HAART. this is indicative that the decreased renal function could be as a result of the devastating effect of HIV. It further demonstrates no association between decreased renal function to the type of HAART regimen used, duration on HAART as well as the patient’s adherence to treatment.

Mortal allies: human immunodeficiency virus and noncommunicable diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

HIV-infected individuals have improved access to antiretroviral therapy. This has resulted in a shift in causes of mortality from infectious diseases to noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and malignancies. This review will look at the epidemiological shift, risk factors for the development of these diseases and examine some of the supporting laboratory diagnostic testing, which may be required.

RECENT FINDINGS

Risk factors for the development of these diseases in HIV-infected patients include underlying genetic predisposition, lifestyle risk factors, chronic inflammation as a consequence of HIV infection, the presence and persistence of opportunistic infections and in some cases, highly active antiretroviral therapy, itself. Morbidity and mortality from HIV-associated conditions are increasing in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) with increased prevalence of HIV-associated cancers, cardiovascular disease and CKD.

SUMMARY

Management of these conditions in LMICs requires an integrated pathology solution that will enable early screening, diagnosis and monitoring.

HIV and kidney diseases: 35 years of history and consequences

Kidney diseases in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients are often misdiagnosed. Despite reductions in morbidity and mortality owing to widespread use of highly effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are still more common in these patients than in the general population, and are associated with poor health outcomes. HIV-associated nephropathy and HIV immune complex kidney diseases are the more recognizable HIV-related kidney diseases. However, a broad spectrum of kidney disorders related or not directly related with HIV infection can be observed, including cART-induced AKI, CKD, proximal tubular dysfunction, crystalluria and urolithiasis, among others. This review summarizes the major epidemiologic studies of kidney diseases in HIV-infected patients, discusses novel approaches that may potentially limit nephrotoxicity such as the use of tenofovir alafenamide, and outlines current screening measures for early diagnosis of kidney dysfunction or tubular damage, and for accurate detection of increased risk for acute or chronic kidney diseases.

Epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and management of chronic kidney disease in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients

Antiretroviral therapy has markedly reduced acquired immune deficiency syndrome-related deaths and opportunistic infectious diseases. This has resulted in prolonged survival of individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, this improvement in survival has been accompanied by an increase in the incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end-stage renal disease. CKD is now epidemic among HIV-infected populations in both Western and Eastern countries. Risk factors associated with CKD in HIV-infected populations include aging, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, co-infection with hepatitis C virus, a low CD4 cell count, and a high HIV viral load. Clinical experience has shown that HIV-infected individuals often have one or more concurrent risk factors for CKD. The cumulative effect of multiple risk factors on the development of CKD should be noted in this population. Glomerular disease directly related to HIV infection, so-called HIV-associated nephropathy, remains an important cause of CKD among a limited HIV population of African descent, but is less likely to be common among other urban HIV populations. The impact of exposure to nephrotoxic antiretroviral agents on the development of kidney disease is both an old and a new concern. In particular, the association of tenofovir with kidney tubular injury has been an area of great interest. The findings regarding tenofovir's adverse effect on long-term kidney function vary among studies. The early identification and treatment of CKD is recommended for reducing the burden of patients requiring dialysis in HIV-infected populations. Periodic monitoring of urinary concentrations of albumin, protein, and tubular injury markers such as low-molecular-weight proteins may be useful for the early diagnosis of patients at risk for incident CKD. This review focuses on recent epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and management of CKD in a contemporary HIV-infected population.

Comparison of Rates of Death Having any Death-Certificate Mention of Heart, Kidney, or Liver Disease Among Persons Diagnosed with HIV Infection with those in the General US Population, 2009-2011

OBJECTIVE

Compare age-adjusted rates of death due to liver, kidney, and heart diseases during 2009-2011 among US residents diagnosed with HIV infection with those in the general population.

METHODS

Numerators were numbers of records of multiple-cause mortality data from the national vital statistics system with an ICD-10 code for the disease of interest (any mention, not necessarily the underlying cause), divided into those 1) with and 2) without an additional code for HIV infection. Denominators were 1) estimates of persons living with diagnosed HIV infection from national HIV surveillance system data and 2) general population estimates from the US Census Bureau. We compared age-adjusted rates overall (unstratified by sex, race/ethnicity, or region of residence) and stratified by demographic group.

RESULTS

Overall, compared with the general population, persons diagnosed with HIV infection had higher age-adjusted rates of death reported with hepatitis B (rate ratio [RR]=42.6; 95% CI: 34.7-50.7), hepatitis C (RR=19.4; 95% CI: 18.1-20.8), liver disease excluding hepatitis B or C (RR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.8-2.3), kidney disease (RR=2.4; 95% CI: 2.2-2.6), and cardiomyopathy (RR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.6-2.3), but lower rates of death reported with ischemic heart disease (RR=0.6; 95% CI: 0.6-0.7) and heart failure (RR=0.8; 95% CI: 0.6-0.9). However, the differences in rates of death reported with the heart diseases were insignificant in some demographic groups.

CONCLUSION

Persons with HIV infection have a higher risk of death with liver and kidney diseases reported as causes than the general population.