Neurocognitive Effects and Tolerability of Efavirenz in Aging HIV-infected Individuals ("SHAC Neuro Study")

With the aging of the HIV-infected population in the United States and elsewhere, neurocognitive dysfunction will likely become an increasingly common problem. Older individuals could be at increased risk for efavirenz-associated adverse effects due to impaired metabolism, increased drug-drug interactions, and lower physiologic reserve, but there are few data on the long-term safety of efavirenz (and other antiretrovirals) in older individuals with HIV. The Stanford HIV Aging Cohort (SHAC) is an ideal setting to study potential neurologic effects of antiretrovirals in aging patients. SHAC is an ongoing longitudinal study initiated in 2008 to evaluate aging in virologically-suppressed HIV-infected individuals. The cohort is supported through multiple grants including a grant from the State of California's HIV Research Program as well as a NIH supplemental grant. As of September 2013, approximately 150 virologically-suppressed HIV-infected adults have been enrolled. In addition to enrolling patients with good adherence to ART, the cohort purposefully excludes subjects with active substance abuse, unstable medical conditions, and psychiatric illnesses to limit potential confounding the study end points. Recently, an NIH supplemental grant (AI069556) was received which will expand the SHAC to 300 HIV-infected subjects. The median age of the subjects in the cohort is in the mid-50's allowing an ample number of older subjects for our planned studies.