• Dathan M Byonanebye, Fred C Semitala, Jackson Katende, Alex Bakenga, Irene Arinaitwe, Peter Kyambadde, Patrick Musinguzi, Irene Andia Biraro, Pauline Byakika-Kibwika, and Moses R Kamya.
• Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
• Afr Health Sci. 2020 Mar 1; 20 (1): 132141132-141.

BackgroundThe World Health Organization recommends antiretroviral therapy (ART) for all HIV-infected patients at all CD4 counts. However, there are concerns that asymptomatic patients may have poorer viral suppression and high attrition.ObjectivesWe sought to determine attrition and viral suppression among healthy HIV-infected patients initiated on ART in program settings.MethodsThis cross-sectional study enrolled ART-experienced patients attending two PEPFAR-supported, high-volume clinics in Kampala, Uganda. Eligible patients were >18 years and had completed at least six months on ART. Participants were interviewed on socio-demographics, ART history and plasma viral load (VL) determined using Abbott Real-time. Predictors of viral suppression (<75 copies/ml) were determined using multivariate logistic regression.ResultsOverall, 267 participants were screened, 228 were eligible and 203 (89%) retained in care (visit within 90 days). Of the 203 participants, 115 (56.7%) were key-populations. Viral suppression was achieved in 173 patients (85%; 95% CI, 80.3%-90.1%). The factors associated with viral suppression were prior VL tests (AOR 6.98; p-value <0.001) and receiving care from a general clinic (AOR 5.41; p=0.009).ConclusionAsymptomatic patients initiated on ART with high baseline CD4 counts, achieve high viral suppression with low risk of attrition. VL monitoring and clinic type are associated with viral suppression.© 2020 Byonanebye DM et al.

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