Table 3. Comparisons of treatment outcomes in patients with late and non-late combination antiretroviral therapy initiation.
| Outcomes | Patients with late initiation (n = 1278) | Patients with non-late initiation (n = 2377) | HR (95% CI) | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| All-cause mortality, n (%) | 22 (1.7) | 6 (0.3) | 6.86 (2.78–16.91) | <0.001 |
| Regimen modification, n (%)* | 598 (46.8) | 1041 (43.8) | 1.10 (0.99–1.21) | 0.077 |
| Adverse event | 422 (33.0) | 834 (35.1) | 0.94 (0.83–1.05) | 0.264 |
| Treatment failure** | 120 (9.4) | 120 (5.1) | 2.02 (1.56–2.61) | <0.001 |
| Virological failure | 91 (7.1) | 62 (2.6) | 2.82 (2.04–3.90) | <0.001 |
| Baseline PVL ≥100,000 | 69 (5.4) | 24 (1.0) | 2.04 (1.28–3.25) | 0.003 |
| copies/mL | ||||
| Baseline PVL <100,000 | 22 (1.7) | 38 (1.6) | 2.27 (1.34–3.84) | 0.002 |
| copies/mL | ||||
| Loss to follow-up or | 29 (2.3) | 58 (2.4) | 1.03 (0.64–1.64) | 0.911 |
| interruption | ||||
| Simplification | 47 (3.7) | 70 (2.9) | 1.23 (0.85–1.78) | 0.281 |
| Others | 14 (1.1) | 20 (0.8) | 1.21 (0.60–2.43) | 0.591 |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; HR, hazard ratio; PVL, plasma HIV RNA load.
*Regimen modification included the removal, addition, and switch of at least one antiretroviral drug from the initial cART regimen, and loss to follow-up within 6 months after starting cART.
**The causes of treatment failure included virological failure, loss to follow-up, and cART interruption. Virological failure was defined as a PVL >200 copies/mL at least 6 months after starting cART.