Table 1. Baseline characteristics of trial participants.
| Aciclovir (N=151) |
Placebo (N=148) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Age group, years | ||
| ≤ 24 | 20 (13%) | 25 (17%) |
| 25-29 | 46 (31%) | 37 (25%) |
| 30-34 | 46 (31%) | 43 (29%) |
| ≥ 35 | 39 (26%) | 43 (29%) |
| Mean age (SD), years | 31 (6) | 32 (8) |
|
| ||
| Marital status | ||
| Never married | 109 (72%) | 112 (76%) |
| Married | 22 (15%) | 22 (15%) |
| Divorced/separated | 8 (5%) | 8 (5%) |
| Widowed | 12 (8%) | 6 (4%) |
|
| ||
| Age at first sex, years - mean (SD) | 17 (2) | 18 (2) |
|
| ||
| Lifetime sexual partners - median (IQR) | 5 (3-8) | 4 (3-7) |
|
| ||
| HIV status of most recent partner1 | ||
| Positive | 24 (19%) | 43 (33%) |
| Negative | 44 (35%) | 28 (22%) |
| Unknown | 57 (46%) | 59 (45%) |
|
| ||
| Condom use at last sex | 94 (63%) | 99 (67%) |
|
| ||
| Contraceptive use | ||
| None | 3 (2%) | 3 (2%) |
| Hormonal method only | 66 (44%) | 69 (47%) |
| Barrier method | 58 (39%) | 59 (40%) |
| Sterilisation | 8 (5%) | 5 (3%) |
| Abstinence | 14 (9%) | 12 (8%) |
|
| ||
| Practise vaginal cleansing | 70 (46%) | 70 (47%) |
|
| ||
| Years since HIV diagnosed – median (IQR) |
1 (0-3) | 1 (0-4) |
|
| ||
| CD4 count cells/mm3 - median (IQR) | 447 (330-615) | 500 (369-731) |
|
| ||
| Plasma HIV-1 RNA, log10 copies/mL – mean (SD) |
4.0 (1.0) | 3.9 (1.1) |
|
| ||
| Self-reported GUD in previous 3 months | 45 (30%) | 52 (35%) |
|
| ||
| Clinical GUD at enrolment | 19 (13%) | 17 (12%) |
|
| ||
| Serological syphilis | 3 (2%) | 3 (2%) |
|
| ||
| Chlamydia trachomatis | 8 (5%) | 10 (7%) |
|
| ||
| Neisseria gonorrhoeae | 7 (5%) | 4 (3%) |
|
| ||
| Trichomonas vaginalis | 18 (12%) | 22 (15%) |
|
| ||
| Bacterial vaginosis | 61 (41%) | 72 (50%) |
|
| ||
| Women with genital HIV-1 RNA | ||
| At no enrolment visits | 44 (29%) | 53 (36%) |
| At one enrolment visit | 43 (28%) | 34 (23%) |
| At both enrolment visits | 64 (42%) | 61 (41%) |
|
| ||
| Women with genital HSV-2 DNA | ||
| At no enrolment visits | 89 (59%) | 77 (52%) |
| At one enrolment visit | 45 (30%) | 54 (36%) |
| At both enrolment visits | 17 (11%) | 17 (11%) |
1
For those that reported having a sexual partner in the past 3 months (aciclovir, N=125, placebo N=130).
GUD, genital ulcer disease; IQR, interquartile range; SD, standard deviation.