• Patrick Mburugu, Peter Muiruri, Nelly Opiyo, Justus Simba, Jane Adunda, Rosemary Kawira, and Onesmus Gachuno.
• Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Child Health and Pediatrics.
• Afr Health Sci. 2021 May 1; 21 (Suppl): 171-7.

BackgroundLimited data is available on the treatment outcomes of HIV infected adolescents and young adults (AYA) in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV-infected adolescents and young adults (AYA) are at high risk of developing antiretroviral treatment failure.ObjectiveTo determine the clinical, immunological and virologic outcomes of AYA at a tertiary hospital in Kenya.MethodologyA longitudinal study was conducted among AYA age 10-24 years attending Kenyatta National Hospital comprehensive care center. Clinical data was abstracted from electronic medical records for study participants with at least 6 months of follow-up using a structured data abstraction sheet.ResultsA total of 250 AYA age 10 to 24 years were included. The median age was 16 years. The median CD4 cell count was 650.6 cells/mm3 (IQR 350.7-884.0). More than half (60.6%) of AYA had a CD4 cell count higher than 500 cells/mm3. Overall, 76.9% of AYA had achieved viral suppression (viral load <1000 copies/ml). There was a significant increase in virologic failure with higher age and late adolescents and young adults were more likely to have a viral load > 1000 copies/ml p<0.012.ConclusionThe overall virologic suppression in this cohort of AYA was sub-optimal. Both immunological and virologic outcomes were worse among late adolescents (18-19 years) and young adults (20-24 years).© 2021 Mburugu P et al.

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