Table 1. Baseline characteristics.
| Short cycle therapy | Continuous Therapy | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Young people randomised and included | 99 | 100 | 199 |
| Male | 57 (58%) | 48 (48%) | 105 (53%) |
| Age (years) | 13·7 (11·7–17·7) | 14·4 (12·0–17·5) | 14·1 (11·9–17·6) |
| 8 to 12 | 38 (38%) | 39 (39%) | 77 (39%) |
| 13 to 17 | 39 (39%) | 41 (41%) | 80 (40%) |
| 18 to 24 | 22 (22%) | 20 (20%) | 42 (21%) |
| Ethnic origin | |||
| Black (African or other) | 58 (59%) | 54 (54%) | 112 (56%) |
| White | 24 (24%) | 17 (17%) | 41 (21%) |
| Asian | 15 (15%) | 22 (22%) | 37 (19%) |
| Other | 2 (2%) | 7 (7%) | 9 (5%) |
| Route of infection | |||
| Vertical | 90 (91%) | 90 (90%) | 180 (90%) |
| Sexual contact | 7 (7%) | 7 (7%) | 14 (7%) |
| Unknown/other* | 2 (2%) | 3 (3%) | 5 (3%) |
| CDC stage§ | |||
| N | 16 (16%) | 10 (10%) | 26 (13%) |
| A | 25 (25%) | 25 (25%) | 50 (25%) |
| B | 45 (45%) | 43 (43%) | 88 (44%) |
| C | 13 (13%) | 21 (21%) | 34 (17%) |
| Cumulative ART exposure prior to baseline (years) | 6.2 (3.8–7.9) | 5.9 (4.0–8.4) | 6.1 (3.8–8.4) |
| Baseline regimen is the initial ART regimen | 40 (40%) | 42 (42%) | 82 (41%) |
| EFV plus: | |||
| Zidovudine, lamivudine† | 52 (53%) | 53 (53%) | 105 (53%) |
| Tenofovir, lamivudine/ emtricitabine†† | 25 (25%) | 27 (27%) | 52 (26%) |
| Abacavir, lamivudine/ emticitabine††† | 22 (22%) | 18 (18%) | 40 (20%) |
| Other‡ | 0 (0%) | 2 (2%) | 2 (1%) |
| CD4 percentage | 34·5 (29·3–39·0) | 34·0 (29·5–38·1) | 34·0 (29·5–38·5) |
| <25% | 5 (5%) | 6 (6%) | 11 (6%) |
| ≥25% to <40% | 73 (74%) | 76 (76%) | 149 (75%) |
| ≥40% | 21 (21%) | 18 (18%) | 39 (20%) |
| CD4 count (cells/μL) | 722·5 (581·0–965·0) | 747·3 (575·3–972·8) | 735·0 (575·5–967·5) |
| ≥350–500 | 16 (16%) | 12 (12%) | 28 (14%) |
| >500 | 83 (84%) | 88 (88%) | 171 (86%) |
Data are median (IQR) or n (%).
*Three young people acquired HIV through blood products (1 SCT, 2 CT), two had uncertain mode of transmission (1 CT, 1 SCT).
§One young person (CT) with unknown CDC stage at randomisation.
† Categorized as zidovudine-based.
†† Categorized as tenofovir-based.
††† Categorized as abacavir-based.
‡The remaining NRTI backbones in two patients were 1) zidovudine, lamivudine, tenofovir (categorised as tenofovir-based) and 2) didanosine, abacavir (categorised as abacavir-based).