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. 2025 Jul 22;13(8):e1436–e1447. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(25)00190-1

Table 1.

Key model parameters to assess the cost-effectiveness of different strategies for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AHD among people living with HIV in Malawi

Base case value
Sex at birth4, 17
Female 63%
Male 37%
Age, years4, 17 33·2 (9·3)
Initial CD4 count, cells per μL4* 330 (110)
CD4 count <200 cells per μL with or without WHO stage 3 or 4 disease 90 (50)
CD4 count ≥200 cells per μL with WHO stage 3 or 4 disease 250 (50)
No AHD (CD4 count ≥200 cells per μL and no WHO stage 3 or 4 disease) 400 (130)
Cohort distribution
CD4 count <200 cells per μL with WHO stage 3 or 4 disease4, 18 12·4%
CD4 count <200 cells per μL without WHO stage 3 or 4 disease4, 18 8·6%
WHO stage 3 or 4 disease with CD4 count ≥200 cells per μL 4·0%
No AHD (CD4 count ≥200 cells per μL and no WHO stage 3 or 4 disease) 75·0%
HIV care continuum
Virological suppression at 6 months from antiretroviral therapy initiation
Integrase strand transfer inhibitor-based regimen19, 20 92%
Protease inhibitor-based regimen21 73%
Loss to follow-up over 12 months22 8·5%
Return to care after 12 months of being lost to follow-up, monthly23 1·3%
Return to care upon developing symptoms of new opportunistic infection 50%
Tuberculosis
CD4-stratified tuberculosis prevalence§
Active tuberculosis disease24 10–37
Latent tuberculosis disease24 20–47
Tuberculosis symptoms25, 26§ 51–87%
Monthly active tuberculosis-related mortality among those untreated7 7%
CD4-stratified test diagnostic yield among outpatients with symptoms27§
Xpert 68–70%
Xpert plus LAM 72–85%
Test specificity27, 28
Xpert 98%
Xpert plus LAM 95%
Probability of receiving empiric tuberculosis treatment24§ 7–30%
RHZE efficacy for drug-susceptible-tuberculosis treatment29 98%
Tuberculosis preventive therapy efficacy for preventing tuberculosis disease30, 31** 43%
Cryptococcal infection
Cryptococcal disease prevalence32
CD4 count <100 cells per μL 7%
CD4 count 100–200 cells per μL 2%
Monthly mortality from untreated cryptococcal meningitis33 78%
Cryptococcal antigen test sensitivity34 98%
Cryptococcal antigen test specificity34 98%
Fluconazole efficacy for preventing cryptococcal meningitis35, 36 72%
Other opportunistic infections
Opportunistic infection incidence (stratified by CD4 count and antiretroviral therapy status), monthly§
Severe malaria37 0·02%
Serious bacterial infections7, 38, 39, 40 0·04–3·68%
Other WHO stage 3 or 4 disease38 0·25–4·59%
Opportunistic infection mortality
Severe malaria41 28·1%
Serious bacterial infections7 30·0%
Other WHO stage 3 or 4 disease7 18·7%
Co-trimoxazole efficacy in preventing incident opportunistic infections
Severe malaria42, 43 88·4%
Serious bacterial infections42, 43 49·8%
Other WHO stage 3 or 4 disease44, 45 15·0%
Quality of life, utility
Age-stratified and sex-stratified46§ 0·860–0·910
Tuberculosis47 0·620
Acute opportunistic infection, 1 month
Severe malaria48 0·52
Serious bacterial infections48 0·54
Other WHO stage 3 or 4 disease48 0·50
Cryptococcal meningitis, 1 month48 0·48
Major drug toxicity, 1 month48 0·75
AHD care continuum
Percentage of eligible people who have the test performed
Sputum Xpert†† 79%
Urine LAM49 91%
Tuberculosis preventive therapy NA
Cryptococcal antigen 75%
Co-trimoxazole NA
Percentage of people with positive test results who initiate treatment
Sputum Xpert50 91%
Urine LAM50 91%
Tuberculosis preventive therapy†† 79%
Cryptococcal antigen 90%
Co-trimoxazole 90%
Costs (2023 USD)
HIV care
TDF–3TC + DTG, monthly51 $4
AZT–3TC + LPV–r, monthly51 $19
AHD care
CD4 count, per test52 $6
Sputum Xpert, per test53 $16
Urine LAM, per test54 $6
RHZE treatment, monthly54 $12
Tuberculosis preventive therapy, monthly54 $1
Cryptococcal antigen screening54 $4
Fluconazole pre-emptive therapy, monthly54 $5
Co-trimoxazole prophylaxis, monthly54 $1

Data are % or mean (SD) unless otherwise stated. AHD=advanced HIV disease. AZT–3TC + LPV–r=zidovudine and lamivudine with lopinavir–ritonavir. LAM=lateral flow lipoarabinomannan. NA=not applicable. RHZE=rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, ethambutol. TDF–3TC + DTG=tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and lamivudine with dolutegravir.

*

Values of initial CD4 count are square root transformed (appendix p 4).

See appendix for additional details (pp 6–9).

Assumption (ie, when no data are available to inform a parameter estimate, then an assumption is made and the estimate in sensitivity analysis is varied.)

§

Range shows input parameters that are stratified by CD4 count, age, and/or sex (appendix pp 18, 20, 23, 25 for additional details).

Based on the WHO-recommended four-symptom screen, comprising current cough, fever, night sweats, and weight loss.

Diagnostic yield, defined as the total proportion of tuberculosis cases identified by the tests; calculated by multiplying the sensitivity of the tests by the proportion of people living with HIV who could provide the diagnostic sample; data from Broger and colleagues.27

**

Tuberculosis preventive therapy prevents initial tuberculosis infection and the progression of latent tuberculosis infection to active tuberculosis disease with an efficacy of 43% over a period of 30 months; this effect lasts for 24 months after completing tuberculosis preventive therapy.

††

Maphosa T, unpublished data from the Evaluation of Advanced HIV Disease Differentiated Care Model in Malawi study.