Factors associated with pulmonary impairment in HIV-infected South African adults

Background: HIV-infected individuals have increased risk of developing obstructive lung disease (OLD). Studies from developed countries report high viral load, low CD4 counts, and anti-retroviral therapy (ART) to be associated with OLD; but these findings may not be generalizable to populations in resource-limited settings.
Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study of lung function in 730 HIV-infected black South African adults. Pre-bronchodilator spirometry was performed at enrollment and repeated annually for three years. Logistic regression models were used to identify factors associated with OLD, defined as FEV1/FVC<0.70, at enrollment. Excess annual declines in FEV1 and FVC were modelled as the product-term of follow-up time and exposures using random effects regression.
Results: Median (IQR) age at enrollment was 36 (32-41) years, 85% were female and 30% ever-smoked with a median (IQR) exposure of 3 (1-6) pack-years. Median (IQR) CD4 count and viral load at enrollment ...