Implications for people with HIV

If kidney disease progresses far enough, it can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) or kidney failure - life-threatening conditions that can require dialysis or kidney transplantation. Kidney disease is also linked to other conditions including cardiovascular disease and bone loss. In one retrospective study, each10 ml/min per 1.73 m2 fall in estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) independently raised the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20% among HIV-positive patients.1

An analysis of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) found that women who had both an AIDS-defining illness and chronic kidney disease (CKD) when they started antiretroviral therapy were twice as likely to die as women with normal kidney function.2

References

  1. George E et al. Kidney function and the risk of cardiovascular events in HIV-1-infected patients. AIDS 24: 387-94, 2010
  2. Estrella MM et al. The impact of kidney function at highly active antiretroviral therapy initiation on mortality in HIV-infected women. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr, advance online publication, 2010
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