Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population according to the T0 viral load.
| Characteristics | Total | T0 viral load (copies/mL) |
p | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <40 | 40–199 | 200–999 | ≥1000 | ||||
| Total number (%) | 333 (100) | 169 (100) | 63 (100) | 30 (100) | 71 (100) | – | |
| Female gender, n (%) | 246 (73·9) | 135 (79·9) | 41 (65·1) | 20 (66·7) | 50 (70·4) | 0·07 | |
| Age, median years (IQR) | 48 (42–54) | 49 (42–55) | 48 (42–54) | 46 (42–52) | 47 (41–50) | 0·11 | |
| Time since HIV diagnosis, median years (IQR) | 9·5 (6·3–12·0) | 10·1 (6·6–12·4) | 9·3 (6·7–11·7) | 7·1 (2·3–10·9) | 9·2 (6·4–11·8) | 0·20 | |
| In stable partnership, n (%) | 165 (49·6) | 73 (43·2) | 37 (58·7) | 12 (40·0) | 43 (60·6) | 0·02 | |
| Children in the household, median number (IQR) | 3 (2–4) | 3 (1–4) | 3 (1–4) | 3 (1–4) | 3 (2–4) | 0·86 | |
| Education level, n (%) | none/primary | 171 (51·4) | 95 (56·2) | 24 (38·1) | 11 (36·7) | 41 (57·8) | 0·02 |
| secondary/post-secondary | 162 (48·7) | 74 (43·8) | 39 (61·9) | 19 (63·3) | 30 (42·3) | ||
| Enough food, n (%) | always/most days | 267 (80·2) | 131 (77·5) | 51 (81·0) | 26 (86·7) | 59 (83·1) | 0·48 |
| some of the time/never | 61 (18·3) | 37 (21·9) | 9 (14·3) | 4 (13·3) | 11 (15·5) | ||
| no data | 5 (1·5) | 1 (0·6) | 3 (4·8) | 0 (0) | 1 (1·4) | ||
| Alcohol consumption, n (%) | never | 317 (95·2) | 164 (97·0) | 61 (96·8) | 28 (93·3) | 64 (90·1) | 0·07 |
| occasionally | 13 (3·9) | 5 (3·0) | 1 (1·6) | 1 (3·3) | 6 (8·5) | ||
| regularly | 3 (0·9) | 0 (0) | 1 (1·6) | 1 (3·3) | 1 (1·4) | ||
| Traditional or herbal remedies, n (%) | 11 (3·3) | 4 (2·4) | 0 (0) | 1 (3·3) | 6 (8·5) | 0·04 | |
| Duration of ART, median years (IQR) | 8·9 (5·7–11·3) | 9·5 (5·9–11·3) | 8·3 (4·5–11·3) | 8·0 (2·1–10·8) | 8·9 (6·3–11·2) | 0·47 | |
| Third agent, n (%) | NNRTIa | 297 (89·2) | 155 (91·7) | 55 (87·3) | 21 (70·0) | 66 (93·0) | 0·01 |
| PI/rb | 36 (10·8) | 14 (8·3) | 8 (12·7) | 9 (30·0) | 5 (7·0) | ||
| NRTI backbone, n (%) | TDF/3TC | 187 (56·2) | 92 (54·4) | 43 (68·3) | 18 (60·0) | 34 (47·9) | 0·05 |
| AZT/3TC | 141 (42·3) | 76 (45·0) | 18 (28·6) | 10 (33·3) | 37 (52·1) | ||
| Treatment interruptions since first starting ART, n (%) | none | 250 (75·1) | 147 (87·0) | 41 (65·1) | 21 (70·0) | 41 (57·8) | <0·001 |
| 1 | 42 (12·6) | 8 (4·7) | 11 (17·5) | 5 (16·7) | 18 (25·4) | ||
| 2–3 | 36 (10·8) | 12 (7·1) | 10 (15·9) | 4 (13·3) | 10 (14·1) | ||
| > 3 | 5 (1·5) | 2 (1·2) | 1 (1·6) | 0 (0) | 2 (2·8) | ||
| VAS score, median% (IQR) | 100 (100–100) | 100 (100–100) | 100 (90–100) | 100 (90–100) | 100 (85–100) | 0·001 | |
| VAS score category, n (%) | 100% | 258 (77·5) | 146 (86·4) | 45 (71·4) | 20 (66·7) | 47 (66·2) | <0·001 |
| 90–100% | 37 (11·1) | 13 (7·7) | 9 (14·3) | 9 (30·0) | 6 (8·5) | ||
| 80–90% | 23 (6·9) | 7 (4·1) | 6 (9·5) | 1 (3·3) | 9 (12·7) | ||
| <80% | 15 (4·5) | 3 (1·8) | 3 (4·8) | 0 (0) | 9 (12·7) | ||
| CD4 count, median cells/mm3 (IQR) | 626 (373–840) | 757 (575–970) | 640 (445–774) | 611 (390–799) | 234 (155–410) | <0·001 | |
| CD4 count <200 cells/mm3, n (%) | 34 (10·2) | 6 (3·6) | 1 (1·6) | 1 (3·3) | 26 (36·6) | <0·001 | |
| HIV-1 RNA, median log10 copies/mL | 1·3 (0·70–2·6) | 1·3 (0·70–1·3) | 1·9 (1·8–2·1) | 2·5 (2·4–2·7) | 4·6 (4·0–5·3) | – | |
Abbreviations: ABC=abacavir; ART=antiretroviral therapy; ATV/r=ritonavir-boosted atazanavir; AZT=zidovudine; EFV=efavirenz; IQR=interquartile-range; LPV/r=ritonavir-boosted lopinavir; NNRTI=non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor; NRTI=nucleos(t)ide reverse transcriptase inhibitor; NVP=nevirapine; PI/r=ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor; 3TC=lamivudine; TDF=tenofovir disoproxil fumarate; VAS=visual analogue scale.
NNRTI-based regimens: TDF/3TC EFV n = 155 (46·6%), TDF/3TC NVP n = 12 (3·6%), AZT/3TC EFV n = 60 (18·0%), AZT/3TC NVP n = 70 (21·0%).
PI/r-based regimens: TDF/3TC LPV/r n = 18 (5·4%), TDF/3TC ATV/r n = 2 (0·6%), AZT/3TC LPV/r n = 10 (3·0%), AZT/3TC ATV/r n = 1 (0·3%), ABC 3TC ATV/r n = 1 (0·3%), Other n = 4 (1·2%).