Adverse Effects of First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in Bangui

Objective: To describe the adverse effects of fixed combinations of antiretroviral drugs based on tenofovir+emtricit abine+efavirenz (TDF/FTC/EFV) and zidovudine+lamivudine+nevirapine (AZT/3TC/NVP) and to identify the factors associated with their occurrence.Patients and methods: An analytical cross-sectional study included after informed consent people living with HIV (PLHIVs). We used an exhaustive sampling by recruiting all the patients who came to get antiretroviral drugs during the study period, aged at least 18 years, treated with TDF/FTC/EFV or AZT/3TC/NVP. Socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic data were collected, entered and analyzed with the software Epi-Info 7. The chi-square test was used to compare the proportions with a significant level of 5%.Results: A total of 282 patients were included, of which 75.53% were females, 53.55% lived in couples; the average age was 38.99 ± 9.5 years old. The TDF/FTC/EFV combination was used in 64.54% of cases. The median duration of treatment was 24.66 months (range 0.66 and 138 months] and adherence was good in 79% of cases. The overall prevalence of adverse events was 82.98% (234/282). We observed neuropsychiatric, digestive and lipodystrophy disorders in 65.25%, 43.62% and 10.99%, respectively. The occurrence of adverse effects was independent of socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics (p>0.05).Conclusion: The prevalence of adverse events is high during the first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Bangui and their occurrence is independent of socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics. It is necessary to systematically research them for early management and ensure therapeutic success.