Factors associated with 1st line ART failure among patients at Newlands Clinic, Harare

Abstract

First line ART treatment failure occurs when drugs being administered for the treatment of HIV are no longer able to kill the virus i.e. virus would have developed resistance to the drugs. This study sought to determine factors associated with 1st line treatment failure among patients taking ART at Newlands clinic, Harare. Materials and methods: An unmatched 1:1 case control study was conducted at Newlands Clinic. Patients who had been on ART for at least 6 months were eligible for study participation. Questionnaires were used to collect data and a review of patient records was done. Results: A total of 464 participants were enrolled into the study. Median age of cases was 33.5 (Q1= 17, Q3 =45) and 37 for controls (Q1=27.5, Q3=37). Females represented 58.1% of study population and 41.9% were males. Median duration on ART for cases was 3.1 years (Q1=2.01, Q3=4.7 years) and 2.9 years for controls (Q1=1.96, Q3= 4.64). Independent risk factors associated with treatment failure were: Not being married (AOR= 1.8: 95% CI 1.01- 3.21), ART commencement by private doctor (AOR = 11 4.86: 95% CI 2.11- 11.2), WHO stage 3 / 4 at ART commencement (AOR=2.08: 95% CI 1.21- 3.57), poor adherence to treatment (AOR=1.73: 95% CI 1.01-3.21) and CD4