Table 1. Comparison of baseline demographics and clinical characteristics according to frequency of viral load testing.
| Frequency of viral load testing | ||||
| Characteristics | Total (n = 128) | Standard, n = 74 | Less frequent, n = 54 | P |
| Age, years | 40.0 (33.0, 48.2) | 39.7 (32.5, 48.7) | 40.9 (35.1, 47.6) | 0.710 |
| Male | 104 | 59 (80) | 45 (83) | 0.606 |
| MSM | 49 | 36 (49) | 13 (24) | 0.005 |
| Distance from HIV center (>160 km) | 70 | 30 (41) | 40 (74) | <0.001 |
| Migrant worker (seafarer) | 16 | 3 (4) | 13 (24) | <0.001 |
| High school or lower education | 83 | 44 (59) | 39 (72) | 0.135 |
| Urban residence | 83 | 47 (64) | 36 (67) | 0.712 |
| Baseline CD4 count, cells/µL | 276.0 (197.0, 432.5) | 271.5 (187.0, 417.0) | 296.5 (208.0, 457.0) | 0.711 |
| Baseline CD4 count <200 cells/µL | 33 | 22 (30) | 11 (20) | 0.232 |
| Clinical AIDS before CART | 44 | 26 (35) | 18 (33) | 0.832 |
| CART initiation year | ||||
| 1999–2001 | 48 | 24 (32) | 24 (44) | 0.166 |
| 2002–2004 | 80 | 50 (68) | 30 (56) | |
| CART failure | 31 | 24 (32) | 7 (11) | 0.011 |
| Baseline CART | ||||
| NNRT-based | 62 | 34 (46) | 28 (52) | 0.661 |
| PI-based | 63 | 37 (50) | 26 (48) | |
| Had CART change on follow-up | 65 | 40 (54) | 25 (46) | 0.386 |
| Viral load before CART, log10 copies/ml | 5.3 (4.8, 5.8) | 5.2 (4.7, 5.7) | 5.4 (4.9, 5.8) | 0.307 |
| CD4 cell count before CART, cells/µL | 108.5 (25.0, 217.5) | 89.5 (26.0, 193.0) | 127.0 (24.0, 233.0) | 0.216 |
| Has hepatitis C antibody | 16 | 5 (7) | 11 (20) | 0.021 |
| Years of follow-up | 5.0 (3.8–6.7) | 4.4 (2.6, 6.1) | 5.9 (4.3, 7.6) | <0.001 |
Standard, subjects having <50% of measurements <5 months apart. Less frequent, subjects having ≥50% of measurements >5 months apart.
Values are N (%) or median (interquartile range).
MSM, men who have sex with men; CART, combination antiretroviral therapy; NNRT, non nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; PI, protease inhibitor.