Long-term outcome of HIV-infected patients treated at a tertiary care hospital in southern India
Hamide, A.; Shamanna, S.B.; Balaguru, S.; Subbian, M.
National Medical Journal of India 27(3): 134-137
2014
ISSN/ISBN: 0970-258X PMID: 25668082 Document Number: 626203
In India, the data are scanty on long-term outcome of patients with HIV/AIDS treated with first-line antiretroviral therapy. We retrospectively studied the first 100 patients enrolled for antiretroviral therapy between February 2006 and March 2007 at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, a tertiary care hospital in southern India. Adherence, side-effects and clinical status were recorded at follow-up visits. The outcome measures were immunological recovery, attrition rate and first-line failure rate. First-line failure was defined on the basis of WHO clinical and immunological criteria. The median age of the patients was 36 years. The median baseline CD4 count was 117 cells/cmm. After a median follow-up of 44 months, of the initial 100 patients, 41 patients continued to be on follow-up, 10 patients had died and 41 patients had been lost to follow-up. The attrition rate was 20 per 100 patient-years. Fifty-five patients received >6 months of antiretroviral therapy; of these, 36 patients continued to have good immunological status with a median CD4 count of 548 cells/cmm after a median follow-up of 62 months. The first-line failure rate was 6.12 per 100 patient-years. The initial loss of patients to follow-up is a matter of concern particularly when durable improvement in immunological status is achievable if patients with HIV/AIDS can continue to be on long-term antiretroviral therapy.