Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease among Patients Developing Mild Renal Impairment during Tenofovir-Containing Antiretroviral Treatment.

Background: Tenofovir (TDF) can cause kidney injury through tubular dysfunction, with or without drop of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Whether mild eGFR reductions during treatment should be considered a reason for prompt TDF discontinuation, however, remains unclear.
Methods: Patients with normal pre-TDF eGFR levels, who had developed mild renal impairment (i.e., two consecutive eGFR results between 89-60 ml/min) on TDF, were observed until onset of chronic kidney disease (CKD), defined as two eGFR<60 ml/min 3 to 6 months apart. Multivariable Poisson regression analysis was used to investigate whether outcome was associated with current and cumulative use of TDF (modeled as time-varying covariates).
Results: 2023 (29%) out of 6984 patients developed mild renal impairment on TDF. Among them, 191 progressed to CKD. The incidence of CKD did not significantly differ during TDF treatment (2.6 per 100 PYFU; 95%CI 2.2-3.2) or after its discontinuation (2.2 per 100 PYFU; 95%CI 1.8-2.6). However, the rate of CKD was significantly higher among patients continuing with TDF treatment compared to those who had discontinued it within 6 months of occurrence of mild renal impairment (aIRR 4, 95%CI 2.4-6.8). In contrast, among patients who had maintained TDF >6 months despite mild renal impairment, current TDF use was not associated with a significantly higher rate of CKD. Other significant predictors of CKD were older age, intravenous drug use, diabetes, hypertension, lower pre-TDF eGFR, higher eGFR drop since TDF introduction and longer exposure to TDF.
Conclusions: Prompt discontinuation of TDF among patients developing mild renal impairment may prevent further progression of renal damage.
Competing Interests: GL received speaker or consultancy grants from Janssen-Cilag, Gilead and Bristol-Myers Squibb and travel grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, ViiV and Gilead. FM has served as a consultant on advisory boards for Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Tibotec; he has received lecture fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck Sharp and Dome, and has received research and educational grants from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Jansen-Cilag and Roche. RC served as advisor for Gilead and Janssen-Cilag, received speakers’ honoraria from ViiV, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp and Dohme and Janssen-Cilag. NL is member of the advisory board of Abbvie. MdP is member of the advisory boards of Abbvie and Gilead and received speaker grants from Abbvie, Bristol-Myers Squibb and ViiV. SC has been an employee of Gilead between 2012 and 2013, received speaker or consultancy grants from BMS, Abbvie, Gilead and Merck and travel grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb and ViiV. CT is member of the advisory boards of Gilead and ViiV, received research grants from Gilead, speakers grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead and ViiV and travel grants from Gilead. AG is member of the advisory boards of Gilead, ViiV, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen-Cilag, Merck Sharp-Dome and Abbvie, received speaker grants from Gilead and travel grants from Gilead, ViiV, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen-Cilag and Merck Sharp-Dome. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.