Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Participants
| Characteristics | Early Group N = 408 |
Standard Group N = 408 |
|---|---|---|
| Age – years | ||
| Median | 40 | 40 |
| (Interquartile range) | (34 – 46) | (32 – 47) |
| Female – no. (%) | 241 (59) | 229 (56) |
| Education – no. (%) | ||
| Never went to school | 133 (33) | 120 (29) |
| Primary school | 122 (30) | 124 (30) |
| Secondary school or more | 153 (38) | 164 (40) |
| Annual wage less than $100/year – no. (%) | 259 (63) | 254 (62) |
| Living with spouse or partner– no. (%) | 177 (43) | 164 (40) |
| WHO HIV clinical stage – no. (%) | ||
| Stage 1, no symptoms | 135 (33) | 126 (31) |
| Stage 2 | 199 (49) | 219 (54) |
| Stage 3 | 74 (18) | 63 (15) |
| Pulmonary tuberculosis – no. (%) | 28 (7) | 15 (4) |
| CD4 T-cell count – per mm3 | ||
| Median | 280 | 282 |
| Interquartile range) | (250 – 305) | (250 – 310) |
| Body mass index – kg/m2 | ||
| Median | 21.3 | 21.0 |
| (Interquartile Range) | (19.6 – 23.7) | (19.2 – 23.4) |
| Hemoglobin – g/dl | ||
| Median | 11.5 | 11.4 |
| Interquartile range | (10.3 – 12.6) | (10.3 – 12.5) |