D:A:D Newsletter February 2005
To all professionals involved in D:A:D
Dear Colleagues,
The D:A:D Study is now embarking in its 6th year and is projected to continue at least until 2006. An additional 12,000 HIV-infected persons have been added (D:A:D Cohort II) to the original study population of 23,441 persons (D:A:D Cohort I).
At present time, the study has contributed with important information on the association of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The study continues to follow patients prospectively and focuses on monitoring the risk of cardiovascular disease and its association with extended exposure to cART. The central research question to be solved in the future is which mechanisms that can explain the associated risk of cardiovascular disease with cART.
Furthermore, the study collects detailed information on causes of death. The data collection on causes of death in D:A:D is now being developed further by the implementation of a standardized coding of causes of death (CoDe). This means that from now on, all deaths occurring in patients taking part in the D:A:D Study should be reported using the CoDe case report form. This form replaces the ‘D:A:D Checking Chart for Fatal Cases’, and – in D:A:D – the completion of this form is similarly reimbursed with 200 US$.
For further information about CoDe, please visit the web site CoDe
In the recognition of these changes, the Manual of Operations (MOOP) for the D:A:D Study has been updated, including the new and/or revised case report forms and instructions. The updated version is available at the web site www.cphiv.dk , and a hard copy will be sent to all centres in D:A:D (please contact the Cohort Coordinating office if you do not receive it).
At the upcoming 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, February 22-26th 2005, there will be three presentations from the D:A:D study:
-Relationship between prolonged exposure to combination antiretroviral therapy (CART) and myocardial infarction (MI): effect of sex, age and lipid changes. W El-Sadr et al, on behalf of the D:A:D study group.
#N-186 Oral presentation,Wednesday, February 23, session 10, session time 10 am - 12:30 pm, presentation time 11:00 am)
- HIV and Non-HIV-related deaths and their relationship to immunodeficiency; the D:A:D study. R Weber et al, on behalf of the D:A:D study group.
(#K-188 Poster, Thursday, February 24, session 101, session time: 1:30-3:30 pm, poster board #595)
- Changes over time in antiretroviral therapy (ART) use and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the D:A:D study. C Sabin et al, on behalf of the D:A:D study group.
(Poster, Friday, February 25, session 149, session time: 1:30 - 3:30 pm, poster board #866)
For the continued success of the Study, it remains paramount that all incident cases of the study endpoints are reported in a timely and detailed manner. We are requesting detailed information on all cases of:
- Myocardial infarction
- Stroke
- Invasive cardiovascular procedures
- Diabetes mellitus, and
- Death (from all causes) – now by using the CoDe case report form
If you have any questions or doubts concerning completion of the forms, please contact the local study coordinator or Nina Friis-Møller (nfm@cphiv.dk) at the D:A:D coordinating centre.
We thank you for your attention to this notice and your continued collaboration.
Best regards, the D:A:D coordinating centre
Jens D. Lundgren, M.D. Nina Friis-Møller, M.D. Allen Sawitz
Chair, Steering Committee Study Coordinator Data Manager
Updated: 13 Jan 2006