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The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of hepatotoxicity in patients who had used nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) for at least 3 years.

The study group consisted of HIV‐infected patients under follow‐up at our clinic, who had continuously used an NNRTI‐containing regimen (efavirenz or nevirapine) for at least 3 years. Patients who had used protease inhibitors (PIs) for the same time span constituted a control group. Hepatotoxicity was graded according to the modified AIDS Clinical Trial Group grading system, using alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as a marker.

One hundred and twenty‐two patients on an NNRTI regimen and 54 PI‐using patients were included in the analysis. The mean follow‐up time was nearly 6 years. Eighteen NNRTI‐using patients (14.8%) developed a clinically relevant (≥ grade II) event of hepatotoxicity during treatment; five …