Weight Loss in HIV-Infected Patients

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Recent reports have highlighted the risk of hyperlactatemia and multiorgan failure in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients receiving interferon plus ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C.1,2 The mitochondrial toxicity of nucleoside analogues seems to be associated with these effects. Hyperlactatemia and pancreatitis have also recently been reported in patients taking didanosine and ribavirin.2,3 Since in vitro studies have shown that the presence of ribavirin reduces the amount of didanosine needed to suppress HIV,3 it is not surprising that potentiation of didanosine by ribavirin may increase its toxicity. Available data seem to confirm that there is a greater risk of pancreatitis when stavudine or didanosine is taken concurrently with therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection than when other nucleoside analogues are used.4

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: