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Two previous studies indicated that the introduction of potent antiretroviral therapy (ART) led to improvements in survival among HIV-infected patients who require dialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Now, investigators have conducted a third study on this topic, using data from two ongoing cohorts in Baltimore (a clinic-based cohort and a cohort of intravenous drug users). The analysis focused exclusively on 4509 HIV-infected black patients, because these patients bear a disproportionate burden of ESRD in the U.S.
During approximately 10 years of follow-up, 162 patients (3.6%) initiated dialysis; 43 did so before January 1, 1996 (i.e., before potent ART became widely available in the U.S.), and 119 did so afterward. Those who starte…