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INTRODUCTION: Our systematic scoping review has demonstrated a research gap in antiretroviral treatment (ART) nephrotoxicity as well as in the long-term outcomes of renal function for patients on ART in South Africa. Bearing in mind the high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in South Africa, this is of great concern. OBJECTIVES: To determine the risk factors and co-morbidities associated with changes in renal function in HIV-infected adults in South Africa. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of 350 ART-naïve adult patients attending the King Edward VIII HIV clinic, Durban, South Africa. Data were collected at baseline (pre-ART) and at six, 12, 18 and 24 months on ART. Renal function was assessed in the 24-month period using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation and was categorised into normal renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] ≥ 60), moderate renal impairment (eGFR 30-59), severe renal impairment (eGFR 15-29) and kidney failure (eGFR < 15 mL/min/1.73 m2). Generalised linear models for binary data were used to model the probability of renal impairment over the five time periods, controlling for repeated measures within participants over time. Risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported for each time point versus baseline. RESULTS: The cohort was 64% female, and 99% were Black. The median age was 36 years. At baseline, 10 patients had hypertension (HPT), six had diabetes, 61 were co-infected with tuberculosis (TB) and 157 patients had a high body mass index (BMI) with 25.4% being categorised as overweight and 19.4% as obese. The majority of the patients (59.3%) were normotensive. At baseline, the majority of the patients (90.4%) had normal renal function (95% CI: 86% - 93%), 7.0% (CI: 5% - 10%) had moderate renal impairment, 1.3% (CI: 0% - 3%) had severe renal impairment and 1.3% (CI: 0% - 3%) had renal failure. As BMI increased by one unit, the risk of renal impairment increased by 1.06 (CI: 1.03-1.10) times. The association of HPT with abnormal renal function was found to be insignificant, p > 0.05. The vast majority of patients were initiated on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) (90.6%), in combination with lamivudine (3TC) (100%) and either efavirenz (EFV) (56.6%) or nevirapine (NVP) (43.4%). CONCLUSION: This study reports a low prevalence of baseline renal impairment in HIV-infected ART-naïve outpatients. An improvement in renal function after the commencement of ART has been demonstrated in this population. However, the long-term outcomes of patients with HIV-related renal disease are not known.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND: It is estimated that 650,000 patients may develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related renal disease in South Africa. South Africa has recently adopted WHO policy, stipulating that all HIV-infected patients have access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) irrespective of CD4 cell count. METHODS: We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Worldcat.org and EBSCO host databases from July 2015 to December 2015. Eligibility criteria included articles pertaining to renal manifestations of HIV in South Africa from 2004 to 2015 in adult patients (≥ 18 years). We independently reviewed the articles for quality. Thematic content analysis was performed to identify patterns of renal manifestations from the included studies. The risk of bias (e.g. internal validity) in the included studies was evaluated using the mixed methods appraisal tool. RESULTS: Eleven out 21 studies were eligible for data extraction. The prevalence of urine abnormalities on urine dipsticks was high but had poor sensitivity and specificity for detecting renal impairment. Normal renal function occurred in 28.4 to 79% of patients, mild renal impairment occurred in 19 to 57.1% and moderate renal impairment in 2 to 14.4%. Severe renal impairment occurred in 1.3% of patients. Both the Cockcroft-Gault equation (after correcting for bias) and the 4-variable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease equation (without the ethnicity factor for African Americans) have been validated for the estimation of glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in Black South Africans. HIV-associated nephropathy was the most prevalent histology seen (57.2%). Older age, a lower CD4 count, a low haemoglobin and a detectable viral load were associated with renal impairment. Renal function improved in the first year of commencing ART as evidenced by the regression of proteinuria and the increase in eGFR. CONCLUSION: The findings of the review have implications to the recently adopted 'test and treat' approach to HIV prevention and management. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016039270.
