1. A Retrospective Study of Characteristics of HIV Infected Individuals Opting Out from Antiretroviral Treatment under National Programme
- Author
-
Ghate Manisha, Zirpe Sunil, Shidhaye Pallavi, Gurav Shraddha, Rao Amrita, Verma Vinita, Bamrotiya Manish, Sachdeva Kuldeep Singh, Gupta Radhey Shyam, and Gangakhedkar Raman
- Subjects
HIV ,AIDS ,ART Center ,opted out ,Medicine ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
Background: Retention in care is important for optimal treatment outcomes and effective positive prevention. Reports from India and other countries have mentioned various factors affecting retention but the data on 'opting out' from Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) under the National AIDS Control Programme are scanty. Aim and Objectives: To estimate prevalence and predictors for opting out from Antiretroviral Treatment among HIV infected individuals attending ART center at ICMR-National AIDS Research Institute, Pune. Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, records of individuals taking ART between January 2006 and May 2017 were reviewed. An individual who no longer wished to continue treatment with the national programme because of his/her personal choice and stopped visiting the centre was reported as being 'opted out' from the programme. Results: Of the total 3842 individuals ever initiated on ART, 115 (3%) individuals opted out. The possibility of opting out from ART was 4.9 [95% CI: 1.78-13.6, (p=0.002)] times more in individuals who showed declining trend in their CD4 counts and 8.8 [95% CI: 3.33-23.27,(p
- Published
- 2019