Impact of Antiretroviral Therapy on HIV Patient Survival in Ethiopia
Author Information
Author(s): Jerene Degu, Næss Are, Lindtjørn Bernt
Primary Institution: Arba Minch Hospital, Ethiopia
Hypothesis
Does highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) reduce mortality and tuberculosis incidence in HIV patients in a resource-limited setting?
Conclusion
HAART improved survival and decreased tuberculosis incidence to levels similar to those in developed countries, but both rates remained high in this resource-limited setting.
Supporting Evidence
- Mortality rate in the HAART group was 15.4 per 100 person-years compared to 58.1 in the pre-HAART group.
- Tuberculosis incidence rate was 3.7 per 100 person-years in the HAART group versus 11.1 in the pre-HAART group.
- HAART resulted in a 65% decline in mortality.
- Most deaths occurred within the first three months of treatment.
Takeaway
Giving HIV patients medicine called HAART helps them live longer and get less sick from tuberculosis, but many still get very sick.
Methodology
Cohort study comparing pre-HAART and HAART groups of HIV patients in a district hospital in Ethiopia.
Potential Biases
Potential overestimation of tuberculosis cases due to reliance on clinical diagnosis.
Limitations
CD4 tests were not performed, and tuberculosis diagnosis relied on clinical and radiological assessments without cultures.
Participant Demographics
185 patients in the pre-HAART cohort (90 men, 95 women) and 180 in the HAART cohort (102 men, 78 women).
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
[0.19–0.63]
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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