Abstract
Background:Frequent change of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) regimen is a challenging problem especially in a resource-limited setting like Ethiopia where treatment options are limited. This study was aimed to identify reasons for ART regimen change among adult HIV patients at Nedjo General Hospital (NGH).Methods:An institutional-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at NGH by reviewing patient information cards from 2006 to 2016.Results:From a total of 117 included patients, 50.4% were females and the median (IQR) age of the patients was 28 (24-47) years. Majority of patients, 63 (53.9%) started their treatment at world health organization (WHO) clinical stage III (53.9%) and CD4 count of between 200-350 cells/mm3 (44.54%). At the beginning of ART, 56 (47.9%) patients were on a fixed-dose combination of stavudine-lamivudine-nevirapine (D4T/3TC/NVP). The single-drug substitutions were D4T (n = 63), NVP (n = 34), AZT (n =5), EFV (n = 2), and TDF (n = 1). Majority of the patients, 35(29.9%) switched their initial ART regimen after 3 years of regimen commencement. The common reasons reported for initial regimen change was availability of new drug 46 (39.3%) followed by toxicity/side effects 34 (29.2%). From all toxicities, peripheral neuropathy (47.1%) was the most common toxicity followed by rash (20.6%). After regimen change, 47 (40.2%) were received AZT+3TC+NVP.Conclusion:Availability of new drug and toxicity were the common reasons for regimen modifications. There should be updated guidelines, sustainable supply of affordable ART drugs, and effective laboratory materials to increase treatment success and minimize the toxicity of the drugs.
Highlights
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an ongoing major global public health problem causing high morbidity and mortality [1, 2]
At the time of regimen change, majority of the patients were in working functional status, increased CD4 count, and lower world health organization (WHO) clinical stage (Table 2)
The result of this study indicated the common reason for modification of initial regimens was new drug available followed by the toxicity of the drugs
Summary
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is an ongoing major global public health problem causing high morbidity and mortality [1, 2]. Antiretroviral therapies (ART) are the drugs for HIV AIDS treatment with no known cure yet today [3]. The primary goals of ART are to maintain maximum suppression of the viral load as much as possible, which is achieved through properly regulated ART and rational treatment regimen switch [7]. Even though these medications inhibit viral replication, they may cause a number of adverse effects, which may end with treatment failure and/or regimen changes [3]. Frequent change of Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) regimen is a challenging problem especially in a resource-limited setting like Ethiopia where treatment options are limited. This study was aimed to identify reasons for ART regimen change among adult HIV patients at Nedjo General Hospital (NGH)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
