How often should patients on PrEP be monitored for HIV and renal function?

Patients on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) should be monitored for HIV infection and renal function every 3 months. This includes regular HIV testing and screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at 3-month intervals to ensure early detection of HIV seroconversion and to support adherence to PrEP therapy. Concurrently, renal function should be assessed at the same 3-month intervals to monitor for potential nephrotoxicity associated with tenofovir-containing PrEP regimens.

This monitoring frequency aligns with the British HIV Association (BHIVA) and British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) guidelines, as endorsed by NICE, which recommend 3-monthly follow-up visits for people taking PrEP to include HIV testing, STI screening, and renal function monitoring ¹. The rationale is to promptly identify any HIV infection to avoid resistance development and to detect any adverse renal effects early.

Supporting literature also highlights the importance of regular renal monitoring due to the known potential nephrotoxic effects of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, a common component of PrEP, reinforcing the 3-month interval as a safe and effective schedule (Plosker, 2013; Tetteh et al., 2017).