Virological failure and its predictors among human immunodeficiency virus infected individuals on second line antiretroviral treatment in North‐East Ethiopia, 2021

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionAcquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) becomes a manageable chronic disease due to the presence of effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care accesses. Viral load cascade analyses are important to identify gaps in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS treatment and care for quality improvements.ObjectiveTime to Virological Failure and its Predictors among HIV Infected Individuals on Second Line Antiretroviral Treatment (SLART) in North‐East Ethiopia, 2021.MethodsInstitution‐based retrospective follow‐up study was conducted on 474 HIV‐infected individuals who were on SLART between September 2016 and April 2020. A universal sampling technique was used to recruit study participants. Data were entered by EpiData‐3.3.1 and analyzed by STATA‐14. Cox proportional hazard assumptions were checked to determine the effect of predictor variables on virological failure (VF). The study was conducted from February 1 to April 30, 2021.ResultsThe rate of VF in this study was 15.4% with an incidence rate of 4.93 per 100 person‐years. As participants' age and duration of ART use increased by 1 year the hazards of VF was reduced by 2.9% (AHR: 0.971, 95% CI: 0.945, 0.995) and 10.6% (AHR: 0.894, 95% CI: 0.828, 0.963), respectively. The hazards of VF were twice higher among those who were on a non‐protease inhibitor‐based regimen. Individuals who had a history of making enhanced adherence counseling (EAC) sessions during SLART had three times more risk to develop VF (AHR: 3.374, 95% CI: 1.790, 6.361).Conclusion and RecommendationsThe rate of VF among SLART users was high. Keeping SLART users on PI‐based regimens may improve virological outcomes in HIV care and treatment. Making EAC sessions effective in promoting better ART adherence might reduce VF.