Attrition and Its Predictors Among Adults Receiving First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in Woldia Town Public Health Facilities, Northeast Ethiopia: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Incidence and predictors of loss to follow-up among adult HIV patients attending antiretroviral therapy at public health facilities in Agaro town, Southwest Ethiopia, 2023

BACKGROUND

Loss to follow-up from antiretroviral therapy reduces treatment benefits and leads to treatment failure and onward transmission of HIV. Appropriate interventions to increase adherence to the antiretroviral therapy (ART) cannot be designed and implemented without concrete evidence on the rate of loss to follow-up and the characteristics of those who disengage from the treatment. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the incidence of loss to follow-up and identify its predictors among HIV patients following ART at selected public health facilities in Southwest Ethiopia.

METHODS

An Institutional-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 357 randomly selected adult HIV patients attending antiretroviral therapy from January 2017 to December 2021 at Agaro General Hospital and Agaro Health Center. Data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using STATA 14.2. To estimate and compare the survival probabilities, the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used. Cox regression analysis was fitted to identify independent predictors of time to loss to follow-up. The proportional hazard assumption was checked using the Schoenfeld residual test. The 95% CI of the hazard ratio with a corresponding p-value ≤ 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.

RESULTS

Among a cohort of 357 HIV patients followed for 1028 person-years at Agaro General Hospital and Agaro Health Center, 48 (13.4%) lost their ART follow-up. The overall incidence rate of loss to follow-up was 4.7 (95% CI 3.7, 7.3) per 100 adult-years. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, rural residence (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) = 2.45; 95% CI:1.08-5.58), World Health Organization Clinical stage-IV (AHR = 2.65: 95% CI 1.13-6.26), not disclosing HIV serostatus (AHR = 2.51; 95% CI 1.19-5.29), availability of no treatment supporter (AHR = 4.90; 95% CI: 2.20-10.87), poor and fair adherence to ART follow-up (AHR = 11.28; 95% CI: 4.03-31.56) and (AHR = 5.98; 95% CI: 2.24-15.92), and being out of the catchment area (AHR = 2.70; 95% CI:1.21-6.06) were independently associated with loss to follow-up.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the incidence rate of loss to follow-up among adult HIV patients on ART was higher than the national average. Key predictors of loss to follow-up included rural residence, WHO Clinical stage IV, not disclosing HIV serostatus, absence of a treatment supporter, fair/poor adherence to ART, and visiting an ART clinic outside the catchment area. Therefore, to minimize loss to follow-up, targeted interventions addressing these predictors should be implemented to improve ART follow-up and care for adult HIV patients.

Predictors of loss to follow up among adults on antiretroviral therapy before and after the start of treat-all strategy in public health facilities of Hawassa city, Ethiopia: A Competing risk regression

BACKGROUND

Treat-all strategies improved patient outcomes, despite higher rates of loss to follow-up compared to the pre-treat era. Patients in Ethiopia experienced a higher rate of LTFU during the treat-all strategy period; however, studies did not identify contributing factors in comparison with previous strategies. This study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of loss to follow-up before and after the start of the treat-all strategy among adults on anti-retroviral therapy in public health facilities in Hawassa City, Ethiopia.

METHODS

An institution-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 1190 randomly selected adults on antiretroviral therapy in public health facilities in Hawassa City. Using the Open Data Kit (ODK), data were collected from medical records and exported to Stata version 16 and R 4.2.1 for analysis. A Grays test and cumulative incidence curve were used to compare the cumulative incidence function of loss to follow-up. Bivariable and multivariable competing risk regression were fitted to identify predictors of LTFU and variables with a p-value <0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence of lost-to-follow-up was 4.92(3.84,6.3) and 8.67(7.26,10.3) per 100 person-years (PY) in pre-treat all and treat all cohorts, respectively. The cumulative incidence of mortality was 5.86(4.67,7.35) and 3(2.26,4.12) per 100 PY in pre-treat and treat all cohorts, respectively. Fair/poor adherence (aSHR:5.17; (95% CI 1.97, 13.51), underweight (aSHR:2.13; 95% CI: 1.15-3.93) and WHO stage III/IV (aSHR:2.69; 95% CI: 1.27, 5.71) were predictors of loss up in pre-treat all, whereas fair/poor adherence (aSHR = 2.07; 95% CI: 1.18, 3.68), underweight (aSHR:1.71; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.56), and CD4 cell >350 cell/m3 (aSHR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.05, 2.65) predicts of loss up in treat all cohorts.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that the incidence of loss to follow-up was considerably higher in the treat-all period as compared to the pre-treat-all era. Poor medication compliance, underweight, and a CD4 level >350 cells/m3 contributed to the higher rate of LTFU in the treat-all strategy. Targeted interventions, such as nutritional support and strengthening medication adherence counseling, should be implemented to maintain treatment retention and reduce antiretroviral therapy dropout rates.

Incidence and predictors of loss to follow-up among adult patients receiving antiretroviral therapy in Central Ethiopia: a multi-center retrospective cohort study

Background

Globally, loss to follow-up (LTFU) remains a significant public health concern despite the rapid expansion of antiretroviral medication programs. It is a significant cause of treatment failure and threatens the enhancement of HIV treatment outcomes among patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART). However, there is a paucity of evidence on its incidence and predictors in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to examine the incidence and predictors of LTFU among adult HIV patients receiving ART at hospitals in Central Ethiopia.

Methods

A multi-centered facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted among 432 randomly selected adult patients who received antiretroviral therapy. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to Stata version 14 for analysis. The Kaplan-Meier failure function was employed to determine the overall failure estimates, and the log-rank test was used to compare the probability of failure among the different categories of variables. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify independent predictors of LTFU.

Results

Overall, 172 (39.8%) study participants were lost to follow-up over the 10-year follow-up period with an incidence rate of 8.12 (95% CI: 7.11, 9.09) per 1,000 person-months. Undisclosed HIV status (AHR: 1.96, 95% CI: 1.14, 3.36), not able to work (AHR: 1.84, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.22), opportunistic infections (AHR: 3.13, 95% CI: 2.17, 4.52), CD4 < 200 cell/mL (AHR: 1.95, 95% CI: 1.18, 3.21), not receiving isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) (AHR: 2.57, 95% CI: 1.62, 4.06), not participating in clubs (AHR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.22), side effects of drugs (AHR: 1.44, 95% CI: 1.02, 2.04), and high viral load (AHR: 3.15, 95% CI: 1.81, 5.47) were identified as significant predictors of loss to follow-up.

Conclusion

In this study, the incidence of LTFU was high. The focus should be on creating awareness and prevention programs that aim to reduce loss to follow-up by continuing counseling, especially on the negative effects of loss to follow-up and the benefits of ART care.

Antiretroviral therapy programme outcomes at Senkatana antiretroviral therapy clinic, Lesotho: a four-year retrospective cohort study

Introduction

sub-Saharan Africa, home to over 10% of the world´s population, is the worst Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-affected region in the world. HIV/AIDS is a major public health challenge in Lesotho, with an HIV prevalence of 25.6% in 2018. The aim of this study was to evaluate the treatment outcomes of people living with HIV (PLHIV) on antiretroviral therapy (ART) after 48 months of initiation.

Methods

we conducted a register-based retrospective cohort study for all patients registered at the Senkatana ART Clinic from January to December 2014 and followed them for 48 months until 2018. The ART treatment register and treatment cards were the primary source of data. Data were captured and cleaned in Epi info version 7 and exported into Stata version 14 for analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe participant characteristics. Due to the lack of incident data, the factors associated with treatment outcomes were determined using Chi-square tests and logistic regression.

Results

in 2014, 604 patients were enrolled on ART, of which the majority were female (59.4%) and married (54.8%). The mean age (standard deviation (SD)) at which ART was started was 36 years (10.5) years. After 48 months of initiation, the cohort consisted of 387 patients of which 365 (94.3%) were retained on treatment. In the multivariable logistic regression model, neither demographic characteristics nor clinical factors were associated with ART treatment outcome (viral load suppression, adherence, or ART retention), however, the univariable analysis showed that higher CD4 count at initiation was associated with viral load suppression.

Conclusion

retention, viral load suppression, and adherence were generally good in this cohort after 48 months of initiation. CD4 at initiation was a significant predictor of viral load suppression at 48 months. The ART programme has managed to maintain high viral load suppression and improve immunity in patients who are immunocompromised. Proper data quality management is required for adequate patient monitoring to enable clinical personnel to record and use individual patient data for guiding the clinical management of such patients. Strengthening patient support and tracing will help to reduce the number of patients lost to follow-up.

Incidence and Predictors of Loss to Follow-Up Among Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy in South Gondar Governmental Hospitals, Ethiopia: Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

Approximately 38.4 million adult people worldwide live with HIV, of which the majority live in Africa. In Ethiopia increasing the quality of life to HIV patients and preventing HIV transmission are challenging. Even though test-and-treat strategy is applied for early enrollment to ART, poor retention and loss to follow-up are hindering the care.

Objective

This study examined the incidence and predictors of loss to follow-up among adult HIV patients on ART in South Gondar governmental hospitals, September 11, 2017-September 10, 2022.

Methods

A multi-facility-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted. Study subjects were assigned using simple random sampling methods by their medical record numbers. The data were entered into EPI data version 3.0.2 and exported to STATA version 17 for analysis. The Kaplan-Meier failure function was employed to determine the overall failure estimates. Cox proportional hazard model was tailored for both bi-variable and multivariable. Variables at p-value <0.05 with 95% CI were significantly associated with loss to follow-up.

Results

In this study, about 559 adult HIV survivors were included, and the response rate was 98%. The mean age and standard deviation (±SD) of study subjects were 36.6±9.3 years. The incidence rate of loss to follow-up was 6.7 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 5.6, 8.1). Educational status [AHR: 1.68 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.72)], substance use [AHR: 2.38 (95% CI: 1.50, 3.75)], and ART adherence [AHR: 3.33 (95% CI: 1.38, 8.08)] were significant determinants to loss to follow-up.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the study finding reported that the incidence of loss to follow-up was low. HIV patients who did not have formal education, substance users, and poor ART adherence were at greater hazard of being lost to follow-up. In order to mitigate the rate of loss to follow-up, it is recommended to strengthen the available intervention modalities.

Predictors of Loss to Follow-Up among HIV-Infected Adults after Initiation of the First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy at Arba Minch General Hospital, Southern Ethiopia: A 5-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

Loss to follow-up (LTFU) from antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces treatment benefits and leads to treatment failure. Hence, this study was aimed at determining the incidence of loss to follow-up and predictors among HIV-infected adults who began first-line antiretroviral therapy at Arba Minch General Hospital.

Methods

We carried out an institutional-based retrospective cohort study, and data were collected from the charts of 508 patients who were selected using a simple random sampling technique. All the data management and statistical analyses were conducted using STATA version 14. Cumulative survival probability was estimated and presented in the life table, and the Kaplan-Meir survival curves were compared using the log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to identify the independent predictors.

Results

We followed 508 patients for 871.9 person-years. A total of 46 (9.1%) experienced loss to follow-up, yielding an overall incidence rate of 5.3 (95% CI: 3.9-7.1) per 100 person-years. The cumulative survival probability was 90%, 88%, 86%, and 86% at the end of one, two, three, and four years, respectively. The predictors identified were age less than 35 years (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.92-4.00)), rural residence (aHR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.02-3.83), baseline body weight greater than 60 kilograms (aHR = 2.19; 95% CI: 1.11-4.37), a fair level of adherence (aHR = 11.5; 95% CI: 2.10-61.10), and a poor level of adherence (aHR = 12.03; 95% CI: 5.4-26.7).

Conclusions

In this study, the incidence rate of loss to follow-up was low. Younger adults below the age of 35 years, living in rural areas, with a baseline weight greater than 60 kilograms, which had a fair and poor adherence level were more likely to be lost from treatment. Therefore, health professionals working in ART clinics and potential stakeholders in HIV/AIDS care and treatment should consider adult patients with these characteristics to prevent LTFU.