Can Presumptive Anthelminthic Treatment Delay the Progression of HIV in ART-naïve Patients in Rural Africa?

• Status: Terminated
• Trial end date: 2010-09-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

This study focuses on one of the major health issues of Sub-Saharan Africa: multi-parasitism and co-infections. In particular this study aims to elucidate the interaction of helminths with HIV.

There is good reason to suspect a detrimental effect of helminth infection on the course of HIV infection. We hypothesize, that treatment of helminths in HIV- and helminth co-infected individuals leads to a reduction of HIV viral load. With a lower HIV RNA level one would expect a slower decline of CD4 cells and hence also a slower progression of the disease. Ideally this would lead to a prolongation of the chronic phase of HIV infection and to a delay in the time when anti-retroviral treatment needs to be started.

• Phase: N/A
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute
• Collaborators: Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre; Merck KGaA; Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; University Hospital Inselspital, Berne
• Treatments: Albendazole; Anthelmintics; Ivermectin; Praziquantel

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• HIV-positive patients

• most recent CD4-count > 250 c/μl (latest within the previous 7 months)

• anti-retroviral treatment naïve

• age >18 years

• provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Pregnant and lactating women in the first week of lactation

• Symptoms of severe anemia (or haemoglobin <5g/dl within the precious 3 months)

• Symptoms of chronic diarrhea (defined as >= 3 stools per day of loose consistency for more than 2 weeks)

• Patients on treatment for tuberculosis

• WHO clinical stage 3 disease and CD4-count <350 c/μl

• WHO clinical stage 4 disease