| dc.description.abstract |
Background: Adolescents living with HIV are the only age group where HlV-related mortality
has not decreased, and have some of the lowest rates of viral suppression compared to adults.
Objective: To determine the effect of adherence to ARV on viral suppression among adolescents
living with HIV.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Yekatit 12 Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
from January to February 2020. Secondary data from the hospital records were reviewed. 398
adolescents under care in the hospital were included in the study. Data was collected using a data
abstraction tool. Data was entered using Epinfo and analysis was done using SPSS software.
Binary logistic regression with a 95% confidence interval, was applied to see the effect of
adherence om viral non suppression. Adherence was measured by the percentage of medications
taken by the adolescent in the past month and viral non suppression is defined as > 1000
copies/mL.
Results: Adolescents with non-optimal adherence to ARV were more likely to have viral non-suppression
compared to their counterparts with optimal adherence to ARVs AOR 13.45 (3.87, 46.77). Adolescents with lower CD4 count « 500 cells/mL) were more likely to have non-viral suppression AOR = 8.25 (4.38, 15.51). Those on other medication had odds of2.77 (1.60,4.81) times more to have viral non-suppression. The duration from the date of confirmation of HIV to the date of starting ARV was assessed to have significant relationship with viral suppression. Adolescents with duration of2 to II months and> 5 years were 2.55 (1.12, 5.83) and 3.24 (1.09, 9.63) more likely to suppress their viral load respectively.
Conclusion & recommendation: Optimal adherence to ARV, CD4 count> 500 cells/mL, and 2 to 11 month and> 5 years duration between date of HIV diagnosis and ARV start date were associated with viral suppression where as being on other medication was significantly associated with viral non suppression. Prospective cohort study of adolescents Iiving with HIV would contribute significantly for identifying other factors associated with viral suppression and non-suppression.
......................................... Thesis available at ACIPH Library |
|