Clinical impacts of highly active antiretroviral therapy on patients of hemophilia combined with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: 6-year follow-up of 39 cases

To evaluate the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the haemorrhage status, joint function, and physical ability of the patients of hemophilia combined with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Thirty-nine hemophilia A/AIDS patients, all male, aged (40+/-13), underwent HAART and followed up for 6 years from 2002 to 2008 to observe the yearly hospital visit time, bleeding time, transfusion times, amount of factor VIII transfusion, VIII: C level, physical ability, and joint function. Flow cytometry was used to count the CD4+ T cells, and bDNA assay was used to examine the HIV virus load. The average hospital visit time, bleeding time, transfusion time, and amount of factor VIII transfusion, hemoglobin, white blood cell count, and platelet count before HAART were not significantly different from those after treatment (all P>0.05); only one case showed moderate decrease in VIII: C level, and another one case showed slight decline in physical ability and joint function. The serum HIV RN