Association of soluble CD14 and inflammatory biomarkers with HIV-2 disease progression

Abstract

Background. Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) infection is characterized by a slower progression than HIV type 1. It is not known whether markers of inflammation such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and soluble CD14 (sCD14) may predict disease progression among HIV-2 patients. Methods. We performed longitudinal retrospective analysis using 384 samples from 71 patients included in the HIV-2 French cohort ANRS CO5 and followed for a median of 8 years. Baseline was the time of the first available measurement. Disease progression was defined by the occurrence of death, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention B/C stage HIV-related event, drop in CD4 <350 cells/L, and HIV-2 RNA detection. Cox regression models and mixed models were used for statistical analyses. Results. At baseline, 75 of patients were asymptomatic, 34 were treated; 30 had detectable HIV-2 RNA load, and median CD4 cell count was 415/L. The 3 biomarkers were positively related to each other. In adjusted analyses, sCD14 was the main factor explaining variation of hsCRP and IL-6 (P