Table 2.
Patient characteristics at down-referral eligibility and outcomes by 12-months of follow-up amongst HIV treatment patients in Johannesburg, South Africa after propensity score matching (n=2,772)
| Down-referral Status | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Characteristics | Down-referred (n=693) |
Not Down- referred (n=2079) |
Total (n=2772) |
|
| Sex | Female | 452 (65.2) | 1369 (65.8) | 1821 (65.7) |
| Male | 241 (34.8) | 710 (34.2) | 951 (34.3) | |
| CD4 count at down-referral | 200-299 cells/mm3 | 128 (18.5) | 458 (22.0) | 586 (21.1) |
| eligibility | 300-399 cells/mm3 | 206 (29.7) | 688 (33.1) | 894 (32.3) |
| 400-499 cells/mm3 | 151 (21.8) | 418 (20.1) | 569 (20.5) | |
| ≥500 cells/mm3 | 208 (30.0) | 515 (24.8) | 723 (26.1) | |
| ART regimen at down-referral | d4T-3TC-EFV | 441 (63.5) | 1354 (65.1) | 1795 (64.8) |
| eligibility | AZT-3TC-EFV | 191 (27.6) | 557 (26.8) | 748 (27.0) |
| d4T-3TC-NVP | 44 (6.4) | 111 (5.3) | 155 (5.6) | |
| AZT-3TC-NVP | 17 (2.5) | 54 (2.7) | 71 (2.5) | |
| AZT-3TC-LPVr | 0 (0.0) | 3 (0.1) | 3 (0.1) | |
| Year initiated on ART | 2004 | 148 (21.4) | 438 (21.1) | 586 (21.1) |
| 2005 | 192 (27.7) | 597 (28.7) | 789 (28.5) | |
| 2006 | 240 (34.6) | 689 (33.1) | 929 (33.5) | |
| 2007 | 111 (16.0) | 348 (16.8) | 459 (16.6) | |
| 2008 | 2 (0.3) | 7 (0.3) | 9 (0.3) | |
| Tuberculosis at ART initiation | Yes | 104 (15.0) | 362 (17.4) | 466 (16.8) |
| No | 589 (85.0) | 1717 (82.6) | 2306 (83.2) | |
| WHO Stage | I/II | 396 (57.1) | 1167 (56.1) | 1563 (56.4) |
| III | 254 (36.7) | 792 (38.1) | 1046 (37.7) | |
| IV | 43 (6.2) | 120 (5.8) | 163 (5.9) | |
| Valid South African national identification number | Yes | 502 (72.4) | 1533 (73.7) | 2035 (73.4) |
| No | 191 (27.6) | 546 (26.3) | 737 (26.6) | |
| CD4 count (cells/mm3) at down-referral eligibility | Median (IQR) | 406 (324-528) | 383 (307-498) | 389 (311-507) |
| CD4 count (cells/mm3) at ART initiation | Median (IQR) | 108 (43-168) | 101 (40-168) | 102 (41-168) |
| Months on ART prior to down-referral eligibility | Median (IQR) | 28.7 (19.7-38.7) | 30.0 (24.0-42.0) | 30.0 (22.3-42.0) |
| Months from ART initiation to viral load suppression | Median (IQR) | 3.9 (3.6-5.0) | 3.9 (3.6-5.4) | 3.9 (3.6-5.3) |
| Single drug substitutions from ART initiation to down- referral eligibility |
Median (IQR) | 0 (0-1) | 0 (0-1) | 0 (0-1) |
| Hemoglobin (ug/dL) | Median (IQR) | 14.1 (13.1-15.2) | 13.8 (12.9-14.9) | 13.9 (12.9-15.0) |
| Body Mass Index | Median (IQR) | 24.4 (21.9-27.8) | 24.0 (21.5-27.5) | 24.1 (21.6-27.6) |
| Age | Median (IQR) | 35.2 (31.0-40.7) | 35.2 (30.7-41.8) | 35.3 (30.8-41.6) |
|
| ||||
| 12-month outcomes | ||||
| Death | n (%) | 2 (0.3) | 32 (1.5) | 34 (1.2) |
| Loss to follow-up | n (%) | 10 (1.4) | 87 (4.2) | 97 (3.5) |
| Transferred | n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 2 (0.1) | 2 (0.1) |
| Alive and in care | n (%) | 681 (98.3) | 1958 (94.2) | 2639 (95.2) |
| Viral load rebound by 12-months | Yes | 22 (3.3) | 100 (5.6) | 122 (5.0) |
| No | 654 (96.8) | 1674 (94.4) | 2328(95.0) | |
| CD4 count increase by 12-months (cells/mm3) | Median (IQR) | 55 (-24-127) | 59 (-12-146) | 58 (-15-140) |
ART, antiretroviral therapy; IQR, interquartile range; d4T, stavudine; 3TC, lamivudine; EFV, efavirenze; AZT, zidovudine; NVP, nevirapine; LPVr, lopinavir/ritonavir