Research Article: Association of antiretroviral therapy regimens with serum cortisol abnormalities in people living with HIV/AIDS: a retrospective study
Abstract:
The life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH) has significantly increased, largely due to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) used very frequently.
To explore the associated factors of abnormal serum cortisol levels in PLWH and the correlation between different ART regimens.
A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using clinical data of people living with HIV between May 2017 and March 2025.
In this study involving 117 PLWH, 56 cases (47.9%) exhibited an abnormal high cortisol level. Subjects were stratified into morning serum hypocortisolemia group (Group A), morning serum normocortisolemia (Group B), and abnormal morning serum hypercortisolemia (Group C). Group A exhibited significantly higher diastolic blood pressure, longer duration of HIV diagnosis, and higher ART utilization rate. Additionally, the duration of HIV/AIDS Group A diagnosis was significantly longer and exhibited significant differences ( P < 0.05) when compared with Group C. The mean triglyceride (TG) level in Group C was significantly elevated compared to that in Group B, and the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level in Group A was significantly higher than that in Group C ( P < 0.05). The final logistic regression model was statistically significant (? 2 = 138.00, P = 0.008), and the parallel lines test (? 2 = 18.998, P = 0.123). The duration of HIV diagnosis was associated with changes in blood cortisol levels (OR = 0.987, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99, P = 0.042). In phase II, among 73 PLWH individuals receiving stable ART regimens, the proportion of decreased cortisol differed significantly among ART regimen groups (P < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that longer duration of HIV diagnosis (OR = 1.02, P = 0.021) and the regimen (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors plus protease inhibitors (NRTIs + PIs) (OR = 5.36, P = 0.034)) were independently associated with reduced cortisol levels.
The NRTIs + PIs regimen was associated with a significantly higher likelihood of reduced cortisol compared with the NRTIs + NNRTIs regimen. This finding was supported by multivariate logistic regression, which indicated that regimen (2) (NRTIs + PIs) was an independent factor associated with decreased cortisol levels.
Introduction:
The life expectancy of people living with HIV (PLWH) has significantly increased, largely due to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) used very frequently.
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