Medication Side Effects and Retention in HIV Treatment: A Regression Discontinuity Study of Tenofovir Implementation in South Africa and Zambia.

ABSTRACT: Tenofovir is less toxic than other nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors used in antiretroviral therapy (ART) and may improve retention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients on ART. We assessed the impact of national guideline changes in South Africa (2010) and Zambia (2007) recommending tenofovir for first-line ART. We applied regression discontinuity in a prospective cohort study of 52,294 HIV-infected adults initiating first-line ART within 12 months (±12 months) of each guideline change. We compared outcomes in patients presenting just before and after the guideline changes using local linear regression and estimated intention-to-treat effects on initiation of tenofovir, retention in care, and other treatment outcomes at 24 months. We assessed complier causal ef

SUBMITTER: Brennan AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6118076 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature