Activation and Coagulation Biomarkers Are Independent Predictors of the Development of Opportunistic Disease in Patients with HIV Infection

Abstract

BackgroundActivation and coagulation biomarkers were measured within the Strategies for Management of Antiretroviral Therapy (SMART) trial. Their associations with opportunistic disease (OD) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–positive patients were examined MethodsInflammatory (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein [hsCRP], interleukin-6 [IL–6], amyloid-A, and amyloid-P) and coagulation (D-dimer and prothrombin-fragment 1+2) markers were determined. Conditional logistic regression analyses were used to assess associations between these biomarkers and risk of OD ResultsThe 91 patients who developed an OD were matched to 182 control subjects. Patients with an hsCRP level ⩾5 μg/mL at baseline had a 3.5 higher odds of OD (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5–8.1) than did those with an hsCRP level ConclusionsHigher IL-6 and hsCRP levels independently predicted development of OD. These biomarkers could provide additional prognostic information for predicting the risk of OD Clinical trials registrationClinical Trials.gov number NCT00027352