Immune Reconstitution Is Comparable in Antiretroviral‐Naive Subjects after 1 Year of Successful Therapy with a Nucleoside Reverse‐Transcriptase Inhibitor– or Protease Inhibitor–Containing Antiretroviral Regimen

We compared immune restoration in patients who suppressed human immunodeficiency virus type 1 replication after treatment with a protease inhibitor (PI) plus nevirapine or with 3 nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) plus nevirapine. Changes in total and memory CD4 and CD8 cells were similar in the groups, as were decreases in immune activation (e.g., CD38 and HLA-DR) and increases in CD28 expression. Increases in naive CD4 and CD8 cells tended to be greater in the NRTI-treated group, with differences in naive CD4 cells significant at weeks 8 and 12 (P<.05) but not at week 48. Lymphocyte apoptosis decreased in both groups, but the week-1 decrease was greater in the PI-treated group (P<.02). Lymphocyte proliferation and skin-test responses were comparable. We find little evidence for differences in the major direct immunologic effect of PI versus NRTI regimens and propose that effects observed elsewhere were indirect, mediated through antiviral activity or adaptation of the virus to selection pressure.