via aidsmap, by Carole Leach-Lemens
"The authors conclude, “in ART programmes [in sub-Saharan Africa] switching patients to second-line regimens based on WHO immunological failure criteria appears to reduce mortality, with the greatest benefit in patients switching immediately after failure is diagnosed.”"
Mortality was reduced by about 75% among adults experiencing immunological failure according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria who switched to a second-line regimen compared to those who remained on a failing regimen in two public sector ART programmes without access to routine viral load monitoring in Zambia and Malawi, researchers report in the advance online edition of AIDS.
Additionally in this collaborative analysis Thomas Gsponer and colleagues on behalf of the Southern African region of the International epidemiological databases to evaluate AIDS (IeDEA-SA) showed the less time spent on a failing regimen the lower the risk of death, HR:0.70 (95% credible intervals (CI): 0.44-1.09), p=0.11 for each six months of shorter exposure.
An estimated 6.6 million people are now getting ART in resource-poor settings. As access to treatment increases so does the number of people experiencing treatment failure with a corresponding increase in the use of second-line treatment regimens.
Cost and the absence of the necessary laboratory infrastructure preclude the regular use of viral load monitoring in resource-poor settings, especially in rural areas.
Without viral load monitoring immunological (CD4 cell counts) and clinical criteria are used to determine treatment failure. However, the accuracy of such criteria to detect virological failure is poor. This may lead to unnecessary switching with many health care providers reluctant to switch using these criteria. So people are switched later and at lower CD4 cell counts compared to programmes where viral load monitoring is available, note the authors.
The authors chose to examine further the effect of switching to second-line ART on mortality in settings without viral load monitoring.
All adult patients experiencing treatment failure according to WHO immunological criteria from two public sector ART programmes in Lusaka, Zambia and Lilongwe, Malawi were included in the analysis. Clinical and immunological monitoring was done every three to six months. In both sites viral load testing is limited because of cost and operational difficulties.
Criteria for inclusion: all patients 16 years of age and over with immunological failure after January 1, 2004 based on any of the three WHO criteria: 1) CD4 cell counts staying persistently under 100 cells/mm3 2) a fall of CD4 cell counts below the baseline count and 3) a fall greater than 50% from the peak value.
Read the rest.
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
"The authors conclude, “in ART programmes [in sub-Saharan Africa] switching patients to second-line regimens based on WHO immunological failure criteria appears to reduce mortality, with the greatest benefit in patients switching immediately after failure is diagnosed.”"Mortality was reduced by about 75% among adults experiencing immunological failure according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria who switched to a second-line regimen compared to those who remained on a failing regimen in two public sector ART programmes without access to routine viral load monitoring in Zambia and Malawi, researchers report in the advance online edition of AIDS.
Additionally in this collaborative analysis Thomas Gsponer and colleagues on behalf of the Southern African region of the International epidemiological databases to evaluate AIDS (IeDEA-SA) showed the less time spent on a failing regimen the lower the risk of death, HR:0.70 (95% credible intervals (CI): 0.44-1.09), p=0.11 for each six months of shorter exposure.
An estimated 6.6 million people are now getting ART in resource-poor settings. As access to treatment increases so does the number of people experiencing treatment failure with a corresponding increase in the use of second-line treatment regimens.
Cost and the absence of the necessary laboratory infrastructure preclude the regular use of viral load monitoring in resource-poor settings, especially in rural areas.
Without viral load monitoring immunological (CD4 cell counts) and clinical criteria are used to determine treatment failure. However, the accuracy of such criteria to detect virological failure is poor. This may lead to unnecessary switching with many health care providers reluctant to switch using these criteria. So people are switched later and at lower CD4 cell counts compared to programmes where viral load monitoring is available, note the authors.
The authors chose to examine further the effect of switching to second-line ART on mortality in settings without viral load monitoring.
All adult patients experiencing treatment failure according to WHO immunological criteria from two public sector ART programmes in Lusaka, Zambia and Lilongwe, Malawi were included in the analysis. Clinical and immunological monitoring was done every three to six months. In both sites viral load testing is limited because of cost and operational difficulties.
Criteria for inclusion: all patients 16 years of age and over with immunological failure after January 1, 2004 based on any of the three WHO criteria: 1) CD4 cell counts staying persistently under 100 cells/mm3 2) a fall of CD4 cell counts below the baseline count and 3) a fall greater than 50% from the peak value.
Read the rest.
[Content that is linked from other sources is for informational purposes and should not construe a Mapping Pathways position.]
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