A retrospective cohort study of the lipid profile in patients undergoing HAART. The study analyzes the evolution of concentrations of triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDLc) and HDL-cholesterol (HDLc) in a period of at least 3 years of treatment. From a total of 750 clinical cases analyzed in Hospital Joaquim Urbano (Oporto, Portugal) 124 patients were selected for this study.
After 3 years of treatment, we observed the development of dyslipidaemia by increases in TG (17 % ), TC (29 % ) and LDLc (9 % ), particularly in patients treated with a combination of drugs which included protease inhibitors (PI). Moreover, the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTI) were associated with better lipid profile. The increase of 46 % in HDLc was the most surprising finding.
The results indicate that patients with HAART have a more atherogenic lipidic profile with increased TC, LDLc and TG levels. Since the effectiveness of NNRTI is similar to that of PI, but with a smaller atherogenic profile, it should be the first choice drug to be selected in the HIV treatment.