EuroSIDA - Clinical and Virological Outcome of European Patients Infected With HIV

Abstract: There are currently over 1½ million people across Europe infected with HIV. The epidemic continues to intensify in the Eastern European region where prevalence of HIV will continue to increase in the years to come. There are significant problems with the management of this public health crisis. Available antiretroviral therapy (ART) - although extremely effective - does not eradicate HIV and hence has to be continued for life. Other limitations are the development of resistance, adverse effects of treatment, and the requirement for strict adherence. Despite these limitations, the widespread use of potent ART has resulted in a dramatic decrease in HIV-related mortality across Europe. As the incidence of AIDS has declined, the relative importance of co-morbidities and co-infections, such as chronic viral hepatitis and tuberculosis (TB), has increased. Around a third of all EuroSIDA patients are co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and liver-related death is now the second most common cause of death after AIDS. With the introduction of new more potent and better tolerated oral direct acting antivirals (DAAs) against HCV, major changes in the management and outcome HCV co-infection is anticipated in the coming years. However due to the high cost of DAAs, access to new treatment could vary substantially across Europe.

Over 23,000 consecutively enrolled HIV-1 positive patients from over 100 clinical centres in 35 European countries, Israel and Argentina - one quarter from the eastern region - are currently enrolled in EuroSIDA. New cohorts of patients are normally enrolled every 2-3 years to ensure all regions of Europe where the epidemic is prevalent are represented so the study will give timely information on the clinical presentation and outcome of European HIV-1 positive patients. In 2012, 2500 additional patients were enrolled into EuroSIDA cohort IX. To be at the forefront of investigating the benefits and adverse effects of new HCV treatment in co-infected patients, the EuroSIDA cohort X enrolled in 2014, consisted of 4000 HIV-1 patients positive for antibodies against HCV. The next cohort to be enrolled (cohort XI) in 2019 will consist of 1500 HIV-1 positive patients.

The EuroSIDA study group has now been working on the EuroSIDA study since 1994 and has several notable accomplishments to date, including publication of more than 200 papers in peer-reviewed journals (including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Lancet among others). The focus of EuroSIDA has naturally changed over this period, which demonstrates an eagerness to be flexible, dynamic, and focus on contemporary issues, and the study group is committed to continue working with such principles.

In recent years, EuroSIDA has, in addition to the scientific publications, prioritized capacity building in Eastern Europe with HIV seminars, hosting clinicians from Eastern Europe as European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) students in the office of Copenhagen HIV Programme and sponsoring 2-3 young physicians from Eastern Europe to participate in a statistical course in London every year.

Most of the data are collected from the clinics as part of routine care. Additionally, the central plasma repository will be used to extend earlier studies of the viral epidemiology of HIV (resistance and subtypes).

Primary study objective: To prospectively study, clinical, therapeutic, demographic, virological and laboratory data from HIV-1 positive persons across Europe in order to determine the long-term virological, immunological and clinical outcome. The specific objectives, falling into four main categories, are as follows:

1. To examine the efficacy of ART and factors that limits this

2. To detect current or emerging late onset adverse events among patients on ART

3. To continue surveillance of HIV in clinics around Europe to describe temporal changes and regional difference

4. To monitor the uptake and outcome of HCV therapy and development of direct acting antivirals and compare differences between EuroSIDA regions

Study visits: Enrolment + follow-up Data collection: For all HIV-1 positive patients enrolled and under follow up, laboratory, therapeutic and clinical data on HIV, viral hepatitis and serious non-AIDS clinical events are collected, as well as demographic data and possible data on pregnancy and the HIV status of the newborn baby. The patients are seen within their clinics as required and according to their local physician. EuroSIDA does not involve patient interviews or study visits, the information is collected from patient notes twice a year until 2017 hereafter once a year.