Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31729999›Full record

Trial reportAIDS research and therapy2019

Immediate versus deferred antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected patients presenting with acute AIDS-defining events (toxoplasmosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii-pneumonia): a prospective, randomized, open-label multicenter study (IDEAL-study).

Guido Schäfer, Christian Hoffmann, Keikawus Arasteh, Dirk Schürmann, Christoph Stephan, Björn Jensen, Matthias Stoll, Johannes R Bogner, Gerd Faetkenheuer, Jürgen Rockstroh and 13 more

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IVMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in AIDS research and therapy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. The 2025 EQUALJAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025
    Article
  3. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025
    Article
  4. Clinical microbiology reviews · 2024
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Observational
  9. [HIV infection in the intensive care unit].Medizinische Klinik, Intensivmedizin und Notfallmedizin · 2022
    Review
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors at 8 institutions in 2 countries.

Guido SchäferInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany. g.schaefer@uke.de.ORCID 0000-0002-0983-4234
Christian HoffmannICH Study Center GmbH & Co KG, Hamburg, Germany.
Keikawus ArastehDepartment for Infectious Diseases, Vivantes Auguste-Viktoria-Klinikum, Berlin, Germany.
Dirk SchürmannDepartment for Pneumology and Infectious Diseases, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.
Christoph Stephan2nd Medical Department, Section Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Björn JensenDepartment for Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Infectious Diseases, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
Matthias StollDepartment for Immunology and Rheumatology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Johannes R BognerDepartment for Infectious Diseases, Mediznische Klinik und Poliklinik IV der Universität München, Munich, Germany.
Gerd Faetkenheuer1st Medical Department, Section Infectious Diseases, Universitätsklinikum Köln, Cologne, Germany.
Jürgen RockstrohMedical Department, Section Infectious Diseases, Universitätsklinikum Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Hartwig KlinkerDepartment for Infectious Diseases, Julius Maximilians University, Würzburg, Germany.
Georg HärterDepartment for Infectious Diseases, University Hospital, Ulm, Germany.
Albrecht Stöhrifi-Institute for Interdisciplinary Medicine, Hamburg, Germany.
Olaf DegenInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Eric FreiwaldInstitute for Medical Biometry and Epidemiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Anja HüfnerInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Sabine JordanInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Julian Schulze Zur WieschInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Marylyn Addo1st Medical Department, Section Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Ansgar W Lohse1st Medical Department, Section Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
Jan van LunzenViiV Healthcare, Research Triangle, USA.
Stefan SchmiedelInfectious Diseases Clinic, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
IDEAL study group
Universität Hamburg · DEAuguste-Viktoria-Klinik · DEGoethe University Frankfurt · DELMU Klinikum · DEUniversity of Würzburg · DEInstitute for Interdisciplinary Medicine · DEMedizinische Hochschule Hannover · DEUniversity Hospital Bonn · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTo evaluate clinical outcomes after either immediate or deferred initiation of antiretroviral therapy in HIV-1-infected patients, presenting late with pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) or toxoplasma encephalitis (TE).

methodsPhase IV, multicenter, prospective, randomized open-label clinical trial. Patients were randomized into an immediate therapy arm (starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) within 7 days after initiation of OI treatment) versus a deferred arm (starting ART after completing the OI-therapy). All patients were followed for 24 weeks. The rates of clinical progression (death, new or relapsing opportunistic infections (OI) and other grade 4 clinical endpoints) were compared, using a combined primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints were hospitalization rates after completion of OI treatment, incidence of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), virologic and immunological outcome, adherence to proteinase-inhibitor based antiretroviral therapy (ART) protocol and quality of life.

results61 patients (11 patients suffering TE, 50 with PCP) were enrolled. No differences between the two therapy groups in all examined primary and secondary endpoints could be identified: immunological and virologic outcome was similar in both groups, there was no significant difference in the incidence of IRIS (11 and 10 cases), furthermore 9 events (combined endpoint of death, new/relapsing OI and grade 4 events) occurred in each group.

conclusionsIn summary, this study supports the notion that immediate initiation of ART with a ritonavir-boosted proteinase-inhibitor and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors is safe and has no negative effects on incidence of disease progression or IRIS, nor on immunological and virologic outcomes or on quality of life.

Indexed as

Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly ActiveAcquired Immunodeficiency SyndromeAdultAIDS-Related Opportunistic InfectionsAnti-Retroviral AgentsDisease ProgressionDrug Administration ScheduleFemaleGermanyHIV InfectionsHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedPneumonia, PneumocystisProspective StudiesAnti-Retroviral AgentsCerebral toxoplasmosis HIVDiagnosisLate presentationOpportunistic infectionsPCPPneumocystis jiroveciiTreatment

Identifiers

PMID31729999
PMCPMC6857475
OpenAlexW2986108133

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.