Interruption or deferral of antiretroviral therapy reduces markers of bone turnover compared with continuous therapy: The SMART body composition substudy.

ABSTRACT: Bone mineral density (BMD) declines significantly in HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We compared the effects of intermittent versus continuous ART on markers of bone turnover in the Body Composition substudy of the Strategies for Management of AntiRetroviral Therapy (SMART) trial and determined whether early changes in markers predicted subsequent change in BMD. For 202 participants (median age 44 years, 17% female, 74% on ART) randomized to continuous or intermittent ART, plasma markers of inflammation and bone turnover were evaluated at baseline and months 4 and 12; BMD at the spine (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry [DXA] and computed tomography) and hip (DXA) was evaluated annually. Compared with the continuous ART group, mean bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (bALP), ost

SUBMITTER: Hoy J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3657331 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature