Table 1.
Patient characteristics at ART initiation in multicountry retention study
| Characteristic | Tanzania (n = 1458) |
Uganda (n = 1472) |
Zambia (n = 1217) |
Total number of participants (N = 4147) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age (years): median (IQR) | 37 (31–43) | 35 (30–41) | 35 (30–42) | 36 (30–42) |
| Age 18–29 years: n (%) | 266 (18.2) | 344 (23.4) | 291 (23.9) | 901 (21.7) |
| Age ≥30 years: n (%) | 1191 (81.7) | 1122 (76.2) | 923 (75.8) | 3236 (78.0) |
| Gender: n (%) | ||||
| Male | 484 (33.2) | 504 (34.2) | 488 (40.1) | 1476 (35.6) |
| Female | 974 (66.8) | 968 (65.8) | 728 (59.8) | 2670 (64.4) |
| Distance from clinic: n (%) | ||||
| <10 km | 631 (43.3) | 1073 (72.9) | 212 (17.4) | 1916 (46.2) |
| 10–25 km | 251 (17.2) | 185 (12.6) | 15 (1.2) | 451 (10.9) |
| >25 km | 461 (31.6) | 139 (9.4) | 13 (1.1) | 613 (14.8) |
| Missing | 115 (7.9) | 75 (5.1) | 977 (80.3) | 1167 (28.1) |
| ART related | ||||
| Year of ART initiation: n (%) | ||||
| 2003–2004 | 36 (2.5) | 54 (3.7) | 51 (4.2) | 141 (3.4) |
| 2005 | 232 (15.9) | 226 (15.4) | 188 (15.5) | 646 (15.6) |
| 2006 | 278 (19.1) | 229 (15.6) | 278 (22.8) | 785 (18.9) |
| 2007 | 287 (19.7) | 337 (22.9) | 336 (27.6) | 960 (23.2) |
| 2008 | 360 (24.7) | 296 (20.1) | 212 (17.4) | 868 (20.9) |
| 2009–2010 | 265 (18.2) | 330 (22.4) | 152 (12.5) | 747 (18.1) |
| Years of clinic operation prior to ART initiation: n (%) | ||||
| <1 year | 286 (19.6) | 183 (12.4) | 72 (5.9) | 541 (13.1) |
| ≥1 to <2 years | 312 (21.4) | 196 (13.3) | 196 (16.1) | 704 (17.0) |
| ≥2 to <3 years | 272 (18.7) | 325 (22.1) | 305 (25.1) | 902 (21.8) |
| ≥3 to <4 years | 341 (23.4) | 304 (20.7) | 277 (22.8) | 922 (22.2) |
| ≥4 to <5 years | 196 (13.4) | 207 (14.1) | 211 (17.3) | 614 (14.8) |
| ≥5 years | 51 (3.5) | 257 (17.5) | 156 (12.8) | 464 (11.2) |
| Prior ART experience: n (%) | 112 (7.7) | 85 (5.8) | 55 (4.5) | 252 (6.1) |
| Prior exposure to NVP for PMTCT: n (%) | 0 (0.0) | 86 (8.9) | 94 (12.9) | 180 (6.7) |
| Starting ART regimen: n (%) | ||||
| D4T-3TC-NVP | 991 (68.0) | 540 (36.7) | 404 (33.2) | 1935 (46.7) |
| D4T-3TC-EFV | 86 (5.9) | 23 (1.6) | 79 (6.5) | 188 (4.5) |
| ZDV-3TC-NVP | 128 (8.8) | 542 (36.8) | 240 (19.7) | 910 (21.9) |
| ZDV-3TC-EFV | 230 (15.8) | 257 (17.5) | 96 (7.9) | 583 (14.1) |
| TDF-3TC/FTC-NVP/EFV | 7 (0.5) | 93 (6.3) | 354 (29.1) | 454 (11.0) |
| PI based | 2 (0.1) | 13 (0.9) | 8 (0.7) | 23 (0.6) |
| Other | 1 (0.1) | 1 (0.1) | 33 (2.7) | 35 (0.8) |
| Missing/non-sensical | 13 (0.9) | 3 (0.2) | 3 (0.3) | 19 (0.5) |
| CTX prophylaxis: n (%) | 981 (67.3) | 1186 (80.6) | 724 (59.5) | 2891 (69.7) |
| Clinical characteristics | ||||
| WHO clinical stage at start: n (%) | ||||
| WHO stage 1–2 | 301 (20.6) | 639 (43.4) | 394 (32.8) | 1334 (32.2) |
| WHO stage 3 | 539 (37.0) | 508 (34.5) | 553 (45.4) | 1600 (38.6) |
| WHO stage 4 | 325 (22.3) | 160 (10.9) | 112 (9.2) | 597 (14.4) |
| Missing | 293 (20.1) | 165 (11.2) | 158 (13.0) | 616 (14.9) |
| Functional status: n (%) | ||||
| Working/active | 748 (51.3) | 904 (61.4) | 488 (40.1) | 2140 (51.6) |
| Ambulatory | 261 (17.9) | 73 (5.0) | 352 (28.9) | 686 (16.5) |
| Bedridden | 31 (2.1) | 13 (0.9) | 71 (5.8) | 115 (2.8) |
| Missing | 418 (28.7) | 482 (32.7) | 306 (25.1) | 1206 (29.1) |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| CD4 (cells/µl): median (IQR) | 133 (59–206) | 136 (65–202) | 134 (67–217) | 134 (63–206) |
| Missing: n (%) | 337 (23.1) | 303 (20.6) | 366 (30.1) | 1006 (24.3) |
| TLC (cells/µl): median (IQR) | 1700 (1100–3000) | 1400 (980–1970) | 1200 (500–1900) | 1400 (900–2230) |
| Missing: n (%) | 903 (61.9) | 1151 (78.2) | 695 (57.1) | 2749 (66.3) |
| Haemoglobin (g/dl) | 10.2 (8.9–11.8) | 11.9 (10.5–13.2) | 10.6 (9.0–12.1) | 11.0 (9.5–12.5) |
| Missing: n (%) | 683 (46.8) | 604 (41.0) | 512 (42.1) | 1799 (43.4) |
| Opportunistic infections | ||||
| Weight loss >10%: n (%) | 310 (21.3) | 96 (6.5) | 435 (35.7) | 841 (20.3) |
| Chronic diarrhoea >1 month: n (%) | 159 (10.9) | 41 (2.8) | 282 (23.2) | 482 (11.6) |
| Fever >1 month: n (%) | 287 (19.7) | 80 (5.4) | 246 (20.2) | 613 (14.8) |
| Oral candidiasis: n (%) | 103 (7.1) | 76 (5.2) | 90 (7.4) | 269 (6.5) |
| Wasting syndrome: n (%) | 135 (9.3) | 34 (2.3) | 40 (3.3) | 209 (5.0) |
| Pulmonary TB: n (%) | 171 (11.7) | 151 (10.3) | 169 (13.9) | 491 (11.8) |
ART, antiretroviral treatment; IQR, interquartile range; PMTCT, prevention mother-to-child transmission; NVP, nevirapine; 3TC, lamivudine; D4T, stavudine; ZDV, zidovudine; EFV, efavirenz; TDF, tenofovir, FTC, emtricitabine; PI, protease inhibitor; CTX, cotrimoxazole; TLC, total lymphocyte count; TB, tuberculosis.
Working/active: able to perform usual work in or out of the house; ambulatory: able to perform activities of daily living but not able to work; bedridden: not able to perform activities of daily living.
Wasting syndrome: weight loss of >10%, unexplained chronic diarrhoea >1 month and unexplained fever >1 month.
Data are missing for age and gender when the total number of patient was less than 4147.