Low Frequency of Renal Function Impairment During One-Year of Therapy with Tenofovir-Containing Regimens in the Real-World: A Case-Control Study

Concern exists about the risk of nephrotoxicity using tenofovir (TDF) in HIV-infected patients. We performed a retrospective case-control study including 122 consecutive TDF-naive patients who started treatment with TDF-containing regimens and 194 patients receiving antiretroviral therapy with other antiretroviral drugs. During a 12-month observation period 5 (4.1%) patients in the TDF group versus 1 (0.5%) in the control group developed grade 1 or higher serum creatinine elevations (p = 0.018). Only 2 (1.6%) patients discontinued TDF treatment as a result of serum creatinine level elevations. In 4 of the 5 patients developing creatinine elevations TDF was combined with lopinavir-ritonavir. The use of TDF in clinical practice during a 12-month period is associated with low risk of mild renal failure. Further studies to assess long-term renal safety of this drug are needed.