Risk factors for poor virological outcome at 12 months in an ART programme - South Africa
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in developing countries have shown great variation in report...
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) programmes in developing countries have shown great variation in reported treatment outcomes, but the reasons for these variations have not been clearly defined. To address this, a study was carried out in South Africa amongst a group of ART-na??ve individuals taking part in a workplace ART programme. Their virological outcomes at 12 months and the risk factors which resulted in sub-optimal virological outcome were determined. The results of the study showed that the strongest independent predictors of virological outcome at 12 months were the decrease in viral load and self reported adherence at the six week mark. This occurs because in settings with limited access to viral load measurements, the virological response is best determined at the point, rather than later, allowing time for appropriate interventions to be implemented.
