Antiretroviral Therapy Experience Research Articles

ART history prior to conception: trends and association with postpartum disengagement from HIV care in Khayelitsha, South Africa (2013-2019): a retrospective cohort study.

In recent years, the expansion of HIV treatment eligibility has resulted in an increase in people with antiretroviral therapy (ART) experience prior to pregnancy but little is known about postpartum engagement in care in this population. We examined differences in disengagement from HIV care after delivery by maternal ART history before conception. We analysed data from people living with HIV (aged 15-49) in Khayelitsha, South Africa, with ≥1 live birth between April 2013 and March 2019. We described trends over time in ART history prior to estimated conception, classifying ART history groups as: (A) on ART with no disengagement (>270 days with no evidence of HIV care); (B) returned before pregnancy following disengagement; (C) restarted ART in pregnancy after disengagement; and (D) ART new start in pregnancy. We used Kaplan-Meier curves and proportional-hazards models (adjusted for maternal age, number of pregnancy records and year of delivery) to examine the time to disengagement from delivery to 2 years postpartum. Among 7309 pregnancies (in 6680 individuals), the proportion on ART (A) increased from 19% in 2013 to 41% in 2019. The proportions of those who returned (B) and restarted (C) increased from 2% to 13% and from 2% to 10%, respectively. There was a corresponding decline in the proportion of new starts (D) from 77% in 2013 to 36% in 2019. In the first recorded pregnancy per person in the study period, 26% (95% CI 25-27%) had disengaged from care by 1 year and 34% (95% CI 33-36%) by 2 years postpartum. Individuals who returned (B: aHR 2.10, 95% CI 1.70-2.60), restarted (C: aHR 3.32, 95% CI 2.70-4.09) and newly started ART (D: aHR 2.41, 95% CI 2.12-2.74) had increased hazards of postpartum disengagement compared to those on ART (A). There is a growing population of people with ART experience prior to conception and postpartum disengagement varies substantially by ART history. Antenatal care presents an important opportunity to understand prior ART experiences and an entry into interventions for strengthened engagement in HIV care.

Impact of antiretroviral therapy on cutaneous adverse drug reactions in adult HIV patients: A study from a tertiary care hospital

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) significantly impact public healthcare, especially among HIV patients. These reactions, which range from mild pruritus to severe conditions such as Steven-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), affect the quality of life and treatment outcomes. Aims and Objectives: The current study was designed to evaluate the various types of cutaneous ADRs (CADRs) in adult HIV patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy (ART). Materials and Methods: A retrospective record-based study was conducted at the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Leprosy, Government Medical College/Government General Hospital, Suryapet, Telangana, India. Data from November 2017 to October 2020 were analyzed, focusing on patients over 18 years on ART. Relevant demographic and medical data, including blood tests, liver and renal function, and CD4 counts, were collected. Results: Out of 3532 patients on ART, 568 (16.08%) developed CADRs. Females represented 54.2% of these cases. The age group most affected was between 29 and 48 years. The most common ART regimen was Tenofovir+Lamivudin+Dolutegravir, followed by zidovudine-based combinations. Nevirapine-based regimens had a higher association with CADRs, particularly severe reactions such as SJS and TEN. Conclusion: A significant proportion of HIV patients on ART experience CADRs, with certain drug combinations posing higher risks. This study highlights the need for careful monitoring and selection of ART regimens to minimize the risk of severe CADRs, thereby improving patient outcomes and quality of life in HIV treatment.

Incidence and Predictors of Severe Adverse Drug Reactions among Patients on Antiretroviral Drugs in Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia.

The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy improves the quality and longevity of people living with HIV/AIDS. However, adverse drug reactions associated with antiretroviral therapy compromise the resulting benefits and have been reported differently worldwide, including Ethiopia. Severe adverse drug reactions are one of the major public health concerns for the reason that they can potentially impede the benefit of antiretroviral therapy and put the patient's survival at risk. Despite many successes achieved with the introduction of the combined antiretroviral therapy, the majority of the patients on antiretroviral therapy experience adverse drug reactions associated with the drugs. Consequently, little is known about the problem in the current study area. This is, therefore, to study incidence and predictors of severe adverse drug reactions among patients on antiretroviral drugs in the Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and predictors of severe adverse drug reactions among patients on antiretroviral therapy from February 25, 2022, to March 25, 2022, in the Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia. A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 449 randomly selected medical records of people living with HIV on first-line antiretroviral therapy. Collected data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 15 for analysis. Kaplan-Meier survival curve with log-rank test was used to compare survival curves for categorical independent variables. A p value ≤0.05 was declared as significant, and an adjusted hazard ratio was used to report the effect size using the multivariate Cox proportional hazard model. The overall incidence density of the severe adverse reactions was 7.22 per 1000 months (95% CI: 5.5, 9.6). After adjusting for all potential confounders using multivariable Cox proportional hazard ratio, advanced clinical diseases (AHR = 3.44; 95% CI: 1.54, 7.65), HIV/tuberculosis confections (AHR = 2.38; 95% CI: 1.23, 4.62), and being female (AHR = 3.12; 95% CI: 1.57, 6.18) were significantly associated with the experience of severe adverse drug reactions. In this study, the incidence of severe adverse reactions was consistent with the previous studies, and advanced World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stage, HIV/TB confection, and being female were the independent predictors of the severe adverse drug reactions.

Thirteen-year viral suppression and immunologic recovery of LPV/r-based regimens in pediatric HIV treatment: a multicenter cohort study in resource-constrained settings of China.

Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) in children remains challenging due to resource-constrained settings. We conducted a 13-year, prospective, multicenter cohort study on the effectiveness and safety of LPV/r-based regimens in ART-naive and ART-experienced children. From January 2008 to May 2021, children living with HIV-1 were recruited with LPV/r-based regimens from 8 clinical research sites in 6 provinces in China. Effectiveness outcomes were virologic failure (defined as at least two consecutive measurements of VL > 200 copies/mL after 6 months of ART) and immune response (defined as CD4% recovered to more than 25% after 12 months of treatment). The safety outcomes were treatment-related grade 2-4 adverse events and abnormal laboratory test results. A total of 345 ART-naïve children and 113 ART-experienced children were included in this cohort study. The median follow-up time was 7.3 (IQR 5.5-10.5) years. The incidence density of virologic failure was 4.1 (95% CI 3.3-4.9) per 100 person-years in ART-naïve children and 5.0 (95% CI 3.5-6.5) per 100 person-years in ART-experienced children. Kaplan Meyer (KM) curve analysis showed children with ART experience were at a higher risk of virologic failure (p < 0.05). The risk factors of virologic failure in ART-naïve children were clinic setting in rural hospitals (aHR = 2.251, 1.108-4.575), annual missed dose times >5 days of LPV intake (aHR = 1.889, 1.004-3.554); The risk factor of virologic failure in ART-experienced children was missed dose times >5 days (aHR = 2.689, 1.299-5.604) and mother as caregivers for ART administration (aHR = 0.475, 0.238-0.948). However, during long-term treatment, viral suppression rates between ART-naïve and ART-experienced children remained similar. No significant differences were observed in the immune response, treatment-related grade 2-4 events, and abnormal laboratory test results between ART-naïve children and ART-experienced children. Our research underscores that with consistent, long-term treatment of LPV/r-based regimens, ART-experienced children can achieve therapeutic outcomes comparable to ART-naïve children. It provides crucial insights on LPV/r-based regimens in pediatric HIV treatment, especially in resource-limited settings where high-cost Integrase Strand Transfer Inhibitors (INSTs) are inaccessible. This evidence-based understanding provides an essential addition to the global therapeutic strategies for pediatric HIV treatment.

Prior exposure to antiretroviral therapy among adult patients presenting for HIV treatment initiation or reinitiation in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

ObjectivesAs countries have scaled up access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV, attrition rates of up to 30% annually have created a large pool of individuals who initiate treatment with...

Lipids and apolipoproteins C-III and E among treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced persons with HIV in Nigeria.

Dyslipidaemia is a known cause of cardiovascular mortality. Persons living with HIV are at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease due to lipid metabolism disorders associated with HIV or its therapy. This study evaluated concentrations of lipoproteins and apolipoprotein C-III and E, as a way of assessing cardiometabolic risks among HIV patients. We enrolled 50 HIV-negative persons and 100 HIV-positive patients, 50 on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and 50 treatment-naïve persons, from the Central Hospital and the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria, between May 2015 and November 2015. Participants with a history of metabolic abnormalities were excluded. Apolipoproteins were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, while lipids were measured by spectrophotometry. There were significant abnormalities in the lipid profile of patients with HIV. Triglycerides levels of HIV patients (ART-naïve: 1.44 ± 0.65 mmol/L; p < 0.001 and ART-experienced: 1.49 ± 0.70 mmol/L; p = 0.001) were significantly higher than among controls (0.95 ± 0.54 mmol/L). HIV patients had higher concentrations of apolipoprotein C-III than controls (p < 0.001) and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (treatment-naïve: 2.83 mmol/L and ART-experienced patients: 3.59 mmol/L) than controls (2.50 mmol/L; p = 0.003). Conversely, HIV patients had significantly lowered high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to controls (p < 0.001). Dyslipidaemia was observed among HIV participants, irrespective of their ART experience. Therefore, it is crucial that the lipids of HIV patients be closely monitored to enable early intervention and decrease cardiovascular death. This study affirms that dyslipidemia is a complication of HIV or the prolonged use of ART.

Healthcare Provider Perspectives on HIV Cure Research in Ghana.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced mortality and improved life expectancy among HIV patients but does not provide a cure. Patients must remain on lifelong medications and deal with drug resistance and side effects. This underscores the need for HIV cure research. However, participation in HIV cure research has risks without guaranteed benefits. We determined what HIV healthcare providers know about HIV cure research trials, the risks involved, and what kind of cure interventions they are likely to recommend for their patients. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 39 HIV care providers consisting of 12 physicians, 8 counsellors, 14 nurses, 2 pharmacists, 2 laboratory scientists, and 1 community advocate from three hospitals. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded, and thematic analysis was performed independently by two investigators. Participants were happy about the success of current treatments and hopeful that an HIV cure will be found in the near future, just as ART was discovered through research. They described cure as total eradication of the virus from the body and inability to test positive for HIV or transmit the virus. In terms of risk tolerance, respondents would recommend to their patients' studies with mild to moderate risks like what patients on antiretroviral therapy experience. Participants were reluctant to recommend treatment interruption to patients as part of a cure study and wished trials could be performed without stopping treatment. Healthcare providers categorically rejected death or permanent disability as an acceptable risk. The possibility of finding a cure that will benefit the individual or future generations was strong motivations for providers to recommend cure trials to their patients, as was transparency and adequate information on proposed trials. Overall, the participants were not actively seeking knowledge on cure research and lacked information on the various cure modalities under investigation. While hopeful for an HIV cure, healthcare providers in Ghana expect a cure to be definitive and pose minimal risk to their patients.

2361. Timing of antiretroviral therapy prior to diagnosis of cryptococcal meningitis

Abstract Background Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) is the most common cause of meningitis in adults in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), causing significant morbidity and mortality in people living with HIV. Early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) after cryptococcal diagnosis is associated with increased mortality. With increasing access to ART in SSA, an increasing proportion of CM patients are now presenting on ART, and outcomes remain unclear. Methods We performed a retrospective study of 724 participants with positive CSF cryptococcal antigen in four clinical trials performed in Uganda from June 2017 to February 2022. We compared survival outcomes based on ART experience at the time of CM diagnosis. We had implemented structured ART interruption when ART had recently been initiated (&amp;lt; 2weeks). Results Sixty-one percent (445/724) of participants were ART-naïve at the time of CM diagnosis. Compared to those receiving ART, those ART-naïve had lower CD4 counts and higher Cryptococcus colony forming units (CFUs)/mL on quantitative CSF culture (p&amp;lt; 0.001). However, the two-week mortality between ART-naïve and ART-experienced groups did not statistically differ (16.6% vs. 16.8%, Hazard Ratio = 0.97 (95%CI, 0.67–1.40) as well as for ten-week mortality (25.4% vs. 26.2%, Hazard Ratio = 0.98 (95%CI, 0.73–1.31)). Further stratification of ART-experienced participants by length of ART experience (&amp;lt; =2 weeks vs. &amp;gt;2 weeks prior to diagnosis) and ART continuation status (ART continued vs. discontinued if ART started &amp;lt; =2 weeks prior to diagnosis) demonstrated no statistically significant difference between the groups for two- or ten-week mortality. Conclusion Cryptococcal diagnosis after ART initiation is now increasingly common. In this study, we found no significant mortality differences between ART-naïve and ART-experienced participants at 2 weeks and 10 weeks. Accounting for length of ART experience did not change these short-term mortality outcomes. One potential limitation of our study is different CM treatment regimens were used across clinical trials. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Distinct Molecular Signatures of Aging in Healthy and HIV-Infected Individuals.

Virally suppressed chronic HIV-infected individuals on antiretroviral therapy experience similar immune impairments as HIV-uninfected elderly. However, they manifest symptoms of premature immune aging such as suboptimal responses to vaccination at a younger age. Mechanisms underlying premature immune aging are unclear. The study site was University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In this study, we aimed to identify molecular signatures of aging in HIV-infected (HIV) individuals compared with age-matched healthy control (HC) participants. Transcriptomic profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected cross-sectionally from study participants were evaluated using RNA sequencing, and genes and pathways associated with age and HIV status were identified and compared between study groups. Generalized linear modeling was used to identify transcriptional signatures associated with age. Despite that fewer differentially expressed genes between young (<40 yrs) and old (>59 yrs) were observed in the HIV group, metabolic and innate immune activation pathways were associated with increasing age in both HIV and HC. Age was also associated with pathways involved with T-cell immune activation in HC and with interferon signaling pathways in HIV. We observed signs of precocious immune aging at the transcriptional level in HIV and defined a transcriptional perturbation associated with innate immunity and glucose metabolism induced by aging in both HC and HIV. In this study, we identified distinct molecular signatures predictive of age in HIV versus HC, which suggest precocious immune aging in HIV. Overall, our results highlight the molecular pathways of immune aging in both HC and HIV that may be targeted for additional mechanistic insights or in a therapeutic setting.

Factors Associated with Treatment Satisfaction Among People Living with HIV in Japan and Other Selected Countries: Examination of the Intertwined Roles of Medication, Patient, and Provider Characteristics

We examined satisfaction and perceived challenges with antiretroviral therapy (ART) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Japan vs three other Asian countries (China, Taiwan, South Korea), and 21 non-Asian countries, using data from the 2019 Positive Perspectives Study (pooled sample size from all 25 countries = 2389). Participants in other Asian countries were more likely than those in Japan to report they missed ART ≥ 1 time in the past month because they were depressed/overwhelmed (57.4%[89/155] vs 32.0%[24/75]), had privacy concerns (56.8%[88/155] vs 30.7%[23/75]), were concerned about the potential long-term negative impacts of ART (46.5%[72/155] vs 26.7%[20/75]), or just wanted to forget about HIV (45.8%[71/155] vs 22.7%[17/75]). ART satisfaction however did not differ significantly between surveyed PLHIV in Japan (54.7%[41/75]) vs those in other Asian countries (47.7%[74/155]). The percentage who felt that daily ART dosing limited their lives was 36.0%[27/75] among participants from Japan, 48.4%[75/155] among participants from other Asian countries, and 27.3%[589/2159] among those from non-Asian countries. Within a structural equation model using pooled data from all 25 countries, positive correlations were seen between ART satisfaction and “provider engagement” (β = 0.35), high perceived control over ART dosing schedule (β = 0.28), and the belief that ART prevents HIV transmission (β = 0.16). Conversely, negative correlations were seen between ART satisfaction and experience of ART side-effects (β = − 0.24), high “ART anxiety” (β = − 0.20); and being on multi-tablet regimens (β = − 0.13). Those ART-satisfied reported higher self-rated health and greater ART adherence. These findings underscore the need for patient-centered care to enhance treatment satisfaction and improve ART adherence.

Antiretroviral therapy experience, satisfaction, and preferences among a diverse sample of young adults living with HIV

ABSTRACT Youth and young adults living with HIV (YLWH) have a high HIV infection rate and suboptimal oral medication adherence. Biomedical researchers hope that long-acting antiretroviral therapy (LAART) modalities can help those who struggle with daily oral adherence. While adults living with HIV have expressed interest in LAART, little research has explored perspectives of YLWH. This study explores ART experiences and perspectives on LAART through qualitative interviews with twenty diverse YLWH (18–29) in the United States. Data were analyzed using framework analysis. Most participants were satisfied with their current ART yet had experienced side effects or had struggled with daily adherence. Preferences for improving daily oral ART included making pills smaller and reformulating ART into flavored chewable gummies. Most expressed enthusiasm for LAART, although needle aversion and previous injection drug use were potential barriers for some. Approximately half were interested in an ART patch, though its visibility and fear of stigmatization was concerning. Few expressed interest in implantable ART, calling it unappealing. Although younger people are most likely to benefit from these advancements in HIV treatment, additional research is needed to identify gaps in uptake and to further explore perspectives of YLWH to improve the success of new treatment modalities.

Features of application of raltegravir in HIV-infected patients with different somatic pathologies

Purpose of the study. Evaluation of the efficacy, safety and tolerability of raltegravir regimens in HIV-infected patients with concomitant pathology in real clinical practice.Materials and methods. A retrospective analysis was carried out of 277 outpatient records of HIV-infected patients who received raltegravir (RAL) as a third component both in patients without previous experience of antiretroviral therapy (ART) and in patients with experience of treatment with various somatic pathologies. The main criterion for the effectiveness of the scheme was the proportion of patients with undetectable viral load at the start of the analysis. Additional criteria for evaluating the efficacy and safety of the regimen were the dynamics of the number of CD4-lymphocytes, the frequency and nature of undesirable side reactions.Results. On average, patients with no experience of treatment and with experience of treatment received regimens with raltegravir for about 5 years. At the time of the study in 2020, 69.8% of patients on ART for the first time continued to take a regimen containing raltegravir. In this group, the proportion of patients with virological suppression (PCR of HIV RNA less than 50 kopecks / ml) was 97.7%. 75.2% of patients in the second group in 2020 continued to take the RAL regimen. The proportion of patients with virological suppression (VL less than 50 kopecks / ml) in this group was 97.5%. During the treatment, there was no discontinuation of the regimen in both groups due to undesirable side reactions to raltegravir.Conclusion. The results of this study confirm that RAL-based regimens provide a high level of efficacy with a good tolerance and safety profile in routine clinical practice for both naive and experienced patients with various somatic pathologies.

Prevalence and factors associated with fertility desire among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BackgroundThe fertility desire of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has been rising in the past decade. However, there are many studies among which the association remains controversial between the fertility desire of HIV-infected persons and antiretroviral therapy (ART), sex, marital status, and educational level.MethodsWe performed a literature search of these meta-analyses in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science and ScienceDirect in November 2019. We also reviewed references of eligible studies to complement the search. We used pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with a random-effects model and a fixed-effects model to estimate the association between fertility desire among PLHIV and ART, sex, age, marital status, educational level, and number of children. Subgroups with I square values (I2) and sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the heterogeneity and the stability of the overall ORs, respectively. We evaluated publication bias using Egger’s test and a visual inspection of the symmetry in funnel plots.ResultsIn these meta-analyses 50 articles were included with 22,367 subjects. The pooled prevalence of fertility desire among PLHIV was estimated to be 42.04%. The pooled analyses showed that the fertility desire of PLHIV is associated with ART (OR = 1.11, 95% CI:1.00–1.23, P = 0.043), sex (OR = 1.51, 95% CI:1.10–2.09), age (OR = 2.65, 95% CI:2.24–3.14), marital status (OR = 1.34, 95% CI:1.08–1.66), educational level (OR = 0.85, 95% CI:0.73–1.00, P = 0.047) and the number of children (OR = 3.99, 95% CI:3.06–5.20). PLHIV who are on ART, are male, are younger than 30, are married/cohabiting, have received a secondary education or above, and are childless have a higher prevalence of fertility desire. The two factors of age and the number of children, in particular demonstrated a strong significant association with fertility desire. We found moderate heterogeneity in the meta-analyses of age and educational level and high heterogeneity in the meta-analyses of sex, marital status and number of children. Publication bias was detected in the meta-analyses of the association of fertility with sex and educational level.ConclusionThis study demonstrates that the prevalence of fertility desire among HIV-infected people is 42.04%, and the fertility desire among PLHIV is associated with ART experience, sex, age, marital status, the number of children, and educational level. Since a majority of PLHIV are of reproductive age, it is necessary to support PLHIV in terms of their needs regarding reproductive decision-making. Through counseling and reproductive health care, further measures to prevent the horizontal and vertical transmission of HIV should be taken.

Antiretroviral therapy experience, satisfaction, and preferences among a diverse sample of young adults living with HIV

Antiretroviral therapy experience, satisfaction, and preferences among a diverse sample of young adults living with HIV

Incidence of Hepatotoxicity in Iranian Patients With HIV on Antiretroviral Therapies and Its Correlation with Virologic Response to HIV Treatment.

To investigate hepatotoxicity in Iranian patients with HIV to assess the association between virologic response to HIV treatment and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT). This study was conducted with 200 control patients, 75 patients with HIV naïve to antiretroviral therapy (ART), and 443 patients who received ARTs with virologic response (≤1000 copies/mL) or virologic treatment failure (>1000 copies/mL). Serum ALT level and HIV viral load were determined in all patients. Patient ALT levels were significantly higher than those of control patients (45.1 ± 44.4 IU/L vs 23.8 ± 5.4 IU/L). Compared to patients who were ART-naïve, patients with ART experience had significantly higher ALT levels (38.2 ± 26.2 IU/L vs 46.3 ± 46.7 IU/L), and severe hepatotoxicity was only detected in those with ART experience (8 patients, 1.8%). Mean ALT had no significant difference between virologic response/failure groups. The ALT activity and HIV load had a negative correlation coefficient, but it was not significant. Periodic monitoring for the possibility of hepatotoxicity is highly recommended in all patients with HIV, especially in those receiving ART treatment.

Incident type 2 diabetes mellitus after initiation of common HIV antiretroviral drugs.

To describe the prevalence and incidence of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and evaluate the association between antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation with dolutegravir (DTG), elvitegravir/cobicistat (EVG/c), raltegravir (RAL), or boosted darunavir (bDRV) and incident T2DM. Longitudinal study based on electronic health records of 29 674 PLHIV from the Observational Pharmaco-Epidemiology Research and Analysis (OPERA) cohort. Calculate prevalence of prediabetes and T2DM at regimen initiation. Among PLHIV without prevalent disease, estimate prediabetes and T2DM incidence (Poisson regression) and association between regimen and incident T2DM (multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression). Analyses stratified by ART experience. Among ART-naive and ART-experienced/suppressed PLHIV, the estimated prevalence of prediabetes was 8 and 11%; that of T2DM was 4 and 10%, respectively. The T2DM incidence rate was 9 per 1000 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI): 8-11] among ART-naive and 13 per 1000 person-years (95% CI: 12-15) among ART-experienced/suppressed PLHIV, with no statistically significant differences between regimens. Compared with DTG, no statistically significant association between T2DM risk and regimen was observed among ART-naive on EVG/c [adjusted hazard ratios: 0.70 (95% CI: 0.47-1.05)] or bDRV [0.53 (0.26-1.04)] and ART-experienced/suppressed on EVG/c [0.96 (0.70-1.33)], RAL [1.17 (0.70-1.96)] or bDRV [0.90 (0.57-1.42)]. No increased risk of T2DM was observed with EVG/c, RAL or bDRV compared with DTG in ART-naive and experienced PLHIV. However, despite a large cohort, there was a small number of events and differential risk cannot be excluded.

Predictors of mortality in treatment experienced HIV-infected patients in northern Tanzania.

While factors that drive early mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH) initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have been described, less is known about the predictors of long-term mortality for those with ART experience. PLWH and on ART attending two HIV treatment clinics in Moshi, Tanzania were enrolled from 2008 through 2009 and followed for 3.5 years. Demographic, psychosocial, and clinical information were collected at enrollment. Plasma HIV RNA measurements were collected annually. Cause of death was adjudicated by two independent reviewers based on verbal autopsy information and medical records. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were conducted using Cox proportional hazard models to identify predictors of mortality. The analysis included 403 participants. The median (IQR) age in years was 42 (36-48) and 277 (68.7%) participants were female. The proportion of participants virologically suppressed during the 4 collection time points was 88.5%, 94.7%, 91.5%, and 94.5%. During follow-up, 24 participants died; the overall mortality rate was 1.8 deaths per 100 person-years. Of the deaths, 14 (58.3%) were suspected to be HIV/AIDS related. Predictors of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval) were male sex (2.63, 1.01-6.83), secondary or higher education (7.70, 3.02-19.60), receiving care at the regional referral hospital in comparison to the larger zonal referral hospital (6.33, 1.93-20.76), and moderate to severe depression symptoms (6.35, 1.69-23.87). As ART coverage continues to expand in SSA, HIV programs should recognize the need for interventions to promote HIV care engagement for men and the integration of mental health screening and treatment with HIV care. Facility-level barriers may contribute to challenges faced by PLWH as they progress through the HIV care continuum, and further understanding of these barriers is needed. The association of higher educational attainment with mortality merits further investigation.

Improved Viral Suppression With Streamlined Care in the SEARCH Study.

HIV differentiated service delivery (DSD) models are scaling up in resource-limited settings for stable patients; less is known about DSD outcomes for patients with viremia. We evaluated the effect on viral suppression (VS) of a streamlined care DSD model implemented in the SEARCH randomized universal test and treat trial in rural Uganda and Kenya (NCT:01864603). We included HIV-infected adults at baseline (2013) who were country guideline antiretroviral therapy (ART) eligible (prior ART experience or CD4 ≤ 350) with ≥1 HIV clinic visit between 2013 and 2017 in SEARCH communities randomized to intervention (N = 16) or control (N = 16). We assessed the effect of streamlined care in intervention community clinics (patient-centered care, increased appointment spacing, improved clinic access, reminders, and tracking) on VS at 3 years. Analysis was stratified by the baseline care status: ART-experienced with viremia, ART-naïve with CD4 ≤ 350, or ART-experienced with VS. Among 6190 ART-eligible persons in care, year 3 VS was 90% in intervention and 87% in control arms (RR 1.03, 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.06). Among ART-experienced persons with baseline viremia, streamlined care was associated with higher VS (67% vs 47%, RR 1.41, 95% CI: 1.05 to 1.91). Among ART-naïve persons, VS was not significantly higher with streamlined care (83% vs 79%, RR 1.05, 95% CI: 0.95 to 1.16). Among ART-experienced persons with baseline VS, nearly all remained virally suppressed in both arms (97% vs 95%, RR 1.01, 95% CI: 1.00 to 1.03). Streamlined care was associated with higher viral suppression among ART-experienced patients with viremia in this randomized evaluation of ART-eligible patients who were in care after universal HIV testing.

The Lived Experience of Antiretroviral Therapy for Pregnant Women: Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence as a Balancing Act.

We explored 10 pregnant women's experiences with antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence using a qualitative approach. Semistructured interviews were conducted with pregnant ethnic minority women living with HIV and receiving integrated HIV/obstetric care at a Midwestern academic medical center in the United States. Data were analyzed using an interpretive phenomenology approach to identify major themes. We found an overarching theme: ART Adherence as a Balancing Act (striving to adhere to ART while having to simultaneously navigate daily challenges). We also identified four interrelated subthemes: struggles, support, motivators, and reminders. Findings highlight the need for clinicians to be sensitive to the emotional burdens of living with HIV while pregnant, a constant factor affecting quality of life and adherence. Having conversations about barriers and facilitators to adherence and encouraging women to identify strategies that support adherence are needed rather than focusing solely on pill counts and viral load.

Outcomes of second-line antiretroviral therapy among children living with HIV: a global cohort analysis.

IntroductionLimited data describe outcomes on second‐line antiretroviral therapy (ART) among children globally. Our objective was to contribute data on outcomes among children living with HIV after initiation of second‐line ART in the context of routine care within a large global cohort collaboration.MethodsPatient‐level data from 1993 through 2015 from 11 paediatric HIV cohorts were pooled. Characteristics at switch and through two years of follow‐up were summarized for children who switched to second‐line ART after starting a standard first‐line regimen in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Southern Africa (South Africa & Botswana) and the rest of sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA). Cumulative incidences of mortality and loss to follow‐up (LTFU) were estimated using a competing risks framework.ResultsOf the 85,389 children on first‐line ART, 3,555 (4%) switched to second‐line after a median of 2.8 years on ART (IQR: 1.6, 4.7); 69% were from Southern Africa or SSA and 86% of second‐line regimens were protease inhibitor‐based. At switch, median age was 8.4 years and 50% had a prior AIDS diagnosis. Median follow‐up after switch to second‐line ranged from 1.8 years in SSA to 5.3 years in North America. Median CD4 counts at switch to second‐line ranged from 235 cells/mm3 in SSA to 828 cells/mm3 in North America. Improvements in CD4 counts were observed over two years of follow‐up, particularly in regions with lower CD4 counts at second‐line switch. Improvements in weight‐for‐age z‐scores were not observed during follow‐up. Cumulative incidence of LTFU at two years was <5% in all regions except SSA (7.1%) and Southern Africa (7.4%). Risk of mortality was <3% at two years of follow‐up in all regions, except Latin America (4.9%) and SSA (5.5%).ConclusionsChildren switched to second‐line ART experience CD4 count increases as well as low to moderate rates of LTFU and mortality within two years after switch. Severe immune deficiency at time of switch in some settings suggests need for improved recognition and management of treatment failure in children.