Evaluation of clinical and immunological markers for predicting virological failure in a HIV/AIDS treatment cohort in Busia, Kenya.

Bibliographic Details
Title: Evaluation of clinical and immunological markers for predicting virological failure in a HIV/AIDS treatment cohort in Busia, Kenya.
Authors: Cecilia Ferreyra, Oliver Yun, Nell Eisenberg, Elena Alonso, Ashimosi S Khamadi, Matilu Mwau, Martha Kihara Mugendi, Ana Alvarez, Elena Velilla, Laurence Flevaud, Mireia Arnedo, David Dalmau, Paul Roddy, Andrea Bernasconi, Pedro Pablo Palma
Source: PLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 11, p e49834 (2012)
Publisher Information: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2012.
Publication Year: 2012
Collection: LCC:Medicine
LCC:Science
Subject Terms: Medicine, Science
More Details: BACKGROUND: In resource-limited settings where viral load (VL) monitoring is scarce or unavailable, clinicians must use immunological and clinical criteria to define HIV virological treatment failure. This study examined the performance of World Health Organization (WHO) clinical and immunological failure criteria in predicting virological failure in HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). METHODS: In a HIV/AIDS program in Busia District Hospital, Kenya, a retrospective, cross-sectional cohort analysis was performed in April 2008 for all adult patients (>18 years old) on ART for ≥12 months, treatment-naive at ART start, attending the clinic at least once in last 6 months, and who had given informed consent. Treatment failure was assessed per WHO clinical (disease stage 3 or 4) and immunological (CD4 cell count) criteria, and compared with virological failure (VL >5,000 copies/mL). RESULTS: Of 926 patients, 123 (13.3%) had clinically defined treatment failure, 53 (5.7%) immunologically defined failure, and 55 (6.0%) virological failure. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of both clinical and immunological criteria (combined) in predicting virological failure were 36.4%, 83.5%, 12.3%, and 95.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis, clinical and immunological criteria were found to perform relatively poorly in predicting virological failure of ART. VL monitoring and new algorithms for assessing clinical or immunological treatment failure, as well as improved adherence strategies, are required in ART programs in resource-limited settings.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1932-6203
Relation: http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC3504110?pdf=render; https://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049834
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/99e09e02938c47579dd13b9e07835024
Accession Number: edsdoj.99e09e02938c47579dd13b9e07835024
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:19326203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0049834
Published in:PLoS ONE
Language:English