Accelerating the Uptake and Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Operations Research Agenda.
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SUBMITTER: Rosen S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4978457 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Accelerating the Uptake and Timing of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiation in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Operations Research Agenda.
Rosen Sydney S Fox Matthew P MP Larson Bruce A BA Sow Papa Salif PS Ehrenkranz Peter D PD Venter Francois F Manabe Yukari C YC Kaplan Jonathan J
PLoS medicine 20160809 8
Sydney Rosen and colleagues describe an operations research agenda to accelerating uptake of HIV treatment initiation. ...[more]
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Project description:IntroductionAs global policy evolves toward initiating lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) regardless of CD4 count, initiating individuals newly diagnosed with HIV on ART as efficiently as possible will become increasingly important. To inform progress, we conducted a systematic review of pre-ART interventions aiming to increase ART initiation in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase and the ISI Web of Knowledge from 1 January 2008 to 1 March 2015, extended in PubMed to 25 May 2016, for English language publications pertaining to any country in sub-Saharan Africa and reporting on general adult populations. We included studies describing interventions aimed at increasing linkage to HIV care, retention in pre-ART or uptake of ART, which reported ART initiation as an outcome. We synthesized the evidence on causal intervention effects in meta-analysis of studies belonging to distinct intervention categories.Results and discussionWe identified 22 studies, which evaluated 25 interventions and included data on 45,393 individual patients. Twelve of twenty-two studies were observational. Rapid/point-of-care (POC) CD4 count technology (seven interventions) (relative risk, RR: 1.26; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.02-1.55), interventions within home-based testing (two interventions) (RR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.36-2.92), improved clinic operations (three interventions) (RR: 1.36; 95% CI: 1.25-1.48) and a package of patient-directed services (three interventions) (RR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.20-1.97) were all associated with increased ART initiation as was HIV/TB service integration (three interventions) (RR: 2.05; 95% CI: 0.59-7.09) but with high imprecision. Provider-initiated testing (three interventions) was associated with reduced ART initiation (RR: 0.91; 95% CI: 0.86-0.97). Counselling and support interventions (two interventions) (RR 1.08; 95% CI: 0.94-1.26) had no impact on ART initiation. Overall, the evidence was graded as low or moderate quality using the GRADE criteria.ConclusionsThe literature on interventions to increase uptake of ART is limited and of mixed quality. POC CD4 count and improving clinic operations show promise. More implementation research and evaluation is needed to identify how best to offer treatment initiation in a manner that is both efficient for service providers and effective for patients without jeopardizing treatment outcomes.
| S-EPMC4978859 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Operations research (OR) is well established in India and is also a prominent feature of the global and local agendas for tuberculosis (TB) control. India accounts for a quarter of the global burden of TB and of new cases. Multidrug-resistant TB is a significant problem in Mumbai, India's most populous city, and there have been recent reports of totally resistant TB. Much thought has been given to the role of OR in addressing programmatic challenges, by both international partnerships and India's Revised National TB Control Programme. We attempt to summarize the major challenges to TB control in Mumbai, with an emphasis on drug resistance. Specific challenges include diagnosis of TB and defining cure, detecting drug resistant TB, multiple sources of health care in the private, public and informal sectors, co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and a concurrent epidemic of non-communicable diseases, suboptimal prescribing practices, and infection control. We propose a local agenda for OR: modeling the effects of newer technologies, active case detection, and changes in timing of activities, and mapping hotspots and contact networks; modeling the effects of drug control, changing the balance of ambulatory and inpatient care, and adverse drug reactions; modeling the effects of integration of TB and HIV diagnosis and management, and preventive drug therapy; and modeling the effects of initiatives to improve infection control.
| S-EPMC3836418 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Chronic inflammation predicts complications in persons with human immunodeficiency virus infection. We compared D-dimer, soluble CD14, and interleukin 6 levels before and 12 months after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, among individuals starting ART during earlier-stage (CD4 T-cell count >350/µL) or late-stage disease (CD4 T-cell count <200/µL). Female sex, older age, viral load, and late-stage disease were associated with pre-ART biomarkers (n = 661; P < .05). However, there were no differences in biomarkers by disease stage after 12 months of ART (n = 438; P > .05), owing to loss from observation and greater declines in biomarkers in late-stage initiators (P < .001). Earlier initiation of ART is associated with decreased inflammation, but levels seem to converge between earlier and later initiators surviving to 12 months.
| S-EPMC6736121 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundThere is limited knowledge about the optimal timing of antiretroviral treatment initiation in older children and adolescents.MethodsA total of 20 576 antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naïve patients, aged 1-16 years at enrolment, from 19 cohorts in Europe, Southern Africa and West Africa, were included. We compared mortality and growth outcomes for different ART initiation criteria, aligned with previous and recent World Health Organization criteria, for 5 years of follow-up, adjusting for all measured baseline and time-dependent confounders using the g-formula.ResultsMedian (1st;3rd percentile) CD4 count at baseline was 676 cells/mm 3 (394; 1037) (children aged ? 1 and < 5 years), 373 (172; 630) (? 5 and < 10 years) and 238 (88; 425) (? 10 and < 16 years). There was a general trend towards lower mortality and better growth with earlier treatment initiation. In children < 10 years old at enrolment, by 5 years of follow-up there was lower mortality and a higher mean height-for-age z-score with immediate ART initiation versus delaying until CD4 count < 350 cells/mm 3 (or CD4% < 15% or weight-for-age z-score < -2) with absolute differences in mortality and height-for-age z-score of 0.3% (95% confidence interval: 0.1%; 0.6%) and -0.08 (-0.09; -0.06) (? 1 and < 5 years), and 0.3% (0.04%; 0.5%) and -0.07 (-0.08; -0.05) (? 5 and < 10 years). In those aged > 10 years at enrolment we did not find any difference in mortality or growth with immediate ART initiation, with estimated differences of -0.1% (-0.2%; 0.6%) and -0.03 (-0.05; 0.00), respectively. Growth differences in children aged < 10 years persisted for treatment thresholds using higher CD4 values. Regular follow-up led to better height and mortality outcomes.ConclusionsImmediate ART is associated with lower mortality and better growth for up to 5 years in children < 10 years old. Our results on adolescents were inconclusive.
| S-EPMC5837574 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Among 35 million people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 2013, only 37% had access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Despite global concerted efforts to provide the universal access to the ART treatment, the ART coverage varies among countries and regions. At present, there is a lack of systematic empirical analyses on factors that determine the ART coverage. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify the determinants of the ART coverage in 41 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. It employed statistical analyses for this purpose. Four elements, namely, the HIV prevalence, the level of national income, the level of medical expenditure and the number of nurses, were hypothesised to determine the ART coverage. The findings revealed that among the four proposed determinants only the HIV prevalence had a statistically significant impact on the ART coverage. In other words, the HIV prevalence was the sole determinant of the ART coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa.
| S-EPMC4675103 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Women account for over half of persons living with HIV/AIDS globally. We examined geographic variation in all-cause mortality after antiretroviral therapy (ART) for women living with HIV (WLWH) worldwide. METHODS:We pooled data from WLWH at least 18 years initiating ART 2000-2014 within COHERE (Europe) and IeDEA regions (East Africa, West Africa, South Africa, North America, Latin America/Caribbean). Mortality rates were calculated at 0-3, 3-6, 6-12, 12-24 and 24-48 months after ART, and mortality rate ratios were compared with European rates with piecewise exponential parametric survival models based on Poisson regression. FINDINGS:One hundred ninety thousand, one hundred and seventy-five WLWH (16% Europe, 47% East Africa, 13% West Africa, 19% South Africa, 1% South America, 3% North America and 2% Central America/Caribbean) were included. The highest death rates occurred 0-3 months after ART [1.51 (95% CI 1.25-1.82) per 100 person-years in Europe, 12.45 (11.30-13.73), 14.03 (13.12-15.02) and 9.44 (8.80-10.11) in East, West and South Africa, and 1.53 (0.97-2.43), 7.83 (5.44-11.27) and 17.02 (14.62-19.81) in North, South America and Central America/Caribbean, respectively] and declined thereafter. Mortality in Europe was the lowest, with regional differences greatest in the first 3 months and smaller at longer ART durations [adjusted rate ratios 24-48 months after ART: 3.63 (95% CI 3.04-4.33), 5.61 (4.84-6.51) and 3.47 (2.97-4.06) for East, West and South Africa; 2.86 (2.26-3.62), 2.42 (1.65-3.55) and 2.50 (1.92-3.26) for North, South America and Central America/Caribbean, respectively]. CONCLUSION:Global variations in short-term and long-term mortality among WLWH initiating ART may inform context-specific interventions.
| S-EPMC6948801 | biostudies-literature
Project description:The rates of death are high among patients with coinfection with tuberculosis and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The optimal timing for the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in relation to tuberculosis therapy remains controversial.In an open-label, randomized, controlled trial in Durban, South Africa, we assigned 642 patients with both tuberculosis and HIV infection to start antiretroviral therapy either during tuberculosis therapy (in two integrated-therapy groups) or after the completion of such treatment (in one sequential-therapy group). The diagnosis of tuberculosis was based on a positive sputum smear for acid-fast bacilli. Only patients with HIV infection and a CD4+ cell count of less than 500 per cubic millimeter were included. All patients received standard tuberculosis therapy, prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and a once-daily antiretroviral regimen of didanosine, lamivudine, and efavirenz. The primary end point was death from any cause.This analysis compares data from the sequential-therapy group and the combined integrated-therapy groups up to September 1, 2008, when the data and safety monitoring committee recommended that all patients receive integrated antiretroviral therapy. There was a reduction in the rate of death among the 429 patients in the combined integrated-therapy groups (5.4 deaths per 100 person-years, or 25 deaths), as compared with the 213 patients in the sequential-therapy group (12.1 per 100 person-years, or 27 deaths); a relative reduction of 56% (hazard ratio in the combined integrated-therapy groups, 0.44; 95% confidence interval, 0.25 to 0.79; P=0.003). Mortality was lower in the combined integrated-therapy groups in all CD4+ count strata. Rates of adverse events during follow-up were similar in the two study groups.The initiation of antiretroviral therapy during tuberculosis therapy significantly improved survival and provides further impetus for the integration of tuberculosis and HIV services. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00398996.)
| S-EPMC3076221 | biostudies-literature
Project description:To assess the proportion of patients lost to programme (died, lost to follow-up, transferred out) between HIV diagnosis and start of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa, and determine factors associated with loss to programme.Systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies in adults. Outcomes were the percentage of patients dying before starting ART, the percentage lost to follow-up, the percentage with a CD4 cell count, the distribution of first CD4 counts and the percentage of eligible patients starting ART. Data were combined using random-effects meta-analysis.Twenty-nine studies from sub-Saharan Africa including 148,912 patients were analysed. Six studies covered the whole period from HIV diagnosis to ART start. Meta-analysis of these studies showed that of the 100 patients with a positive HIV test, 72 (95% CI 60-84) had a CD4 cell count measured, 40 (95% CI 26-55) were eligible for ART and 25 (95% CI 13-37) started ART. There was substantial heterogeneity between studies (P < 0.0001). Median CD4 cell count at presentation ranged from 154 to 274 cells/?l. Patients eligible for ART were less likely to become lost to programme (25%vs. 54%, P < 0.0001), but eligible patients were more likely to die (11%vs. 5%, P < 0.0001) than ineligible patients. Loss to programme was higher in men, in patients with low CD4 cell counts and low socio-economic status and in recent time periods.Monitoring and care in the pre-ART time period need improvement, with greater emphasis on patients not yet eligible for ART.
| S-EPMC3895621 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Young adolescents with perinatally acquired human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at risk for poor care outcomes. We examined whether universal antiretroviral treatment (ART) eligibility policies (Treat All) improved rapid ART initiation after care enrollment among 10-14-year-olds in 7 sub-Saharan African countries. METHODS:Regression discontinuity analysis and data for 6912 patients aged 10-14-years were used to estimate changes in rapid ART initiation (within 30 days of care enrollment) after adoption of Treat All policies in 2 groups of countries: Uganda and Zambia (policy adopted in 2013) and Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda (policy adopted in 2016). RESULTS:There were immediate increases in rapid ART initiation among young adolescents after national adoption of Treat All. Increases were greater in countries adopting the policy in 2016 than in those adopting it in 2013: 23.4 percentage points (pp) (95% confidence interval, 13.9-32.8) versus 11.2pp (2.5-19.9). However, the rate of increase in rapid ART initiation among 10-14-year-olds rose appreciably in countries with earlier treatment expansions, from 1.5pp per year before Treat All to 7.7pp per year afterward. CONCLUSIONS:Universal ART eligibility has increased rapid treatment initiation among young adolescents enrolling in HIV care. Further research should assess their retention in care and viral suppression under Treat All.
| S-EPMC7530553 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSince the Start Free, Stay Free, and AIDS-Free launch, UNAIDS targets intended to promote interventions to prevent HIV transmission and promote access to ART among adolescents and children, of which none were achieved in 2020. In the sub-Saharan African region, the number of adolescents initiated on ART drugs remained consistently low, with approximately100 000 adolescents succumbing to AIDS-related causes in 2022. Although HIV prevalence among adolescents had been reduced, several HIV- positive adolescents died without being initiated on ART drugs. Therefore, this scoping review protocol aims to map factors influencing the initiation of ART drugs among adolescents living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsThe methodological framework for scoping reviews will guide this scoping protocol. A search strategy will be used to search literature in electronic databases, including EBSCOhost (PubMed/MEDLINE), Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, BioMed Central, and the World Health Organization library for citations and literature using keywords and the Medical Subjects Heading (MeSH). The electronic databases will be supplemented by hand-searching references on the included studies. The search will be from Jan 01, 2012, to Dec 31, 2022. Articles will be searched and assessed for eligibility by two screeners uploaded on the Endnote software, and duplicates will be identified and removed before the abstract screening. The two screeners will assess the eligibility of the abstracts and the complete articles of the selected studies using the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A third screener will intervene when there is a lack of consensus between the two screeners. The selection process will be documented by following and using the PRISMA flow diagram (Fig 1). A thematic content analysis will present a narrative account of the extracted data.DiscussionThe results of this review will identify and describe factors influencing the initiation of Antiretroviral treatment among adolescents living with HIV in the Sub-Saharan African region. The findings will guide future research and inform tailored interventions and strategies for initiating ART among adolescents.Trial registrationOpen Science Framework. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/RNF2T.
| S-EPMC10883572 | biostudies-literature