{"title":"Assessing index CD4 and associated outcomes at 1-year in a tertiary HIV clinic, KwaZulu-Natal","authors":"Zanele R. Moya, S. Pillay, N. Magula","doi":"10.4102/safp.v66i1.5803","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management guidelines have evolved from initiating therapy at CD4 counts of ≤ 200 cells/m3 to implementing universal test and treat (UTT). This study aimed to assess whether in clinical practice, patients are presenting with higher baseline CD4 counts, describe the incidence of opportunistic infections and the proportion that achieved viral suppression.Methods: A retrospective cohort design with convenience sampling was conducted. Cohort 1 included patients initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2014, when criteria were set at CD4 count ≤ 350 cells/mm3. Cohort 2 included patients initiated on ART between 01 January 2019 and 31 December 2019, during the UTT era.Results: At ART initiation, the median CD4 cell was 170 cells/mm3 (interquartile range [IQR]: 85.5–287) in Cohort 1 cells/mm3 and 243 cells/mm3 (IQR: 120–411) in Cohort 2. Tuberculosis was the predominant OI in the group with CD4 cell count ≤ 200 cells/m3 in both Cohort 1 (26.8%) and Cohort 2 (27.9%), p = 0.039. At 1 year, virological suppression was achieved in only 77.7% and 84.7% of Cohorts 1 and 2 patients.Conclusion: A notable portion of patients at King Edward VIII Hospital’s HIV clinic commenced ART with CD4 counts significantly below the recommended guideline thresholds.Contribution: The research revealed a delay in initiating ART. A comprehensive reevaluation is essential to pinpoint the factors contributing to this delay and to devise customised interventions.","PeriodicalId":1,"journal":{"name":"Accounts of Chemical Research","volume":"54 33","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":16.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Accounts of Chemical Research","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v66i1.5803","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management guidelines have evolved from initiating therapy at CD4 counts of ≤ 200 cells/m3 to implementing universal test and treat (UTT). This study aimed to assess whether in clinical practice, patients are presenting with higher baseline CD4 counts, describe the incidence of opportunistic infections and the proportion that achieved viral suppression.Methods: A retrospective cohort design with convenience sampling was conducted. Cohort 1 included patients initiated on antiretroviral therapy (ART) between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2014, when criteria were set at CD4 count ≤ 350 cells/mm3. Cohort 2 included patients initiated on ART between 01 January 2019 and 31 December 2019, during the UTT era.Results: At ART initiation, the median CD4 cell was 170 cells/mm3 (interquartile range [IQR]: 85.5–287) in Cohort 1 cells/mm3 and 243 cells/mm3 (IQR: 120–411) in Cohort 2. Tuberculosis was the predominant OI in the group with CD4 cell count ≤ 200 cells/m3 in both Cohort 1 (26.8%) and Cohort 2 (27.9%), p = 0.039. At 1 year, virological suppression was achieved in only 77.7% and 84.7% of Cohorts 1 and 2 patients.Conclusion: A notable portion of patients at King Edward VIII Hospital’s HIV clinic commenced ART with CD4 counts significantly below the recommended guideline thresholds.Contribution: The research revealed a delay in initiating ART. A comprehensive reevaluation is essential to pinpoint the factors contributing to this delay and to devise customised interventions.
期刊介绍:
Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance.
Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.