Alternative antiretroviral monitoring strategies for HIV-infected patients in east Africa: opportunities to save more lives?

ABSTRACT:

Background

Updated World Health Organization guidelines have amplified debate about how resource constraints should impact monitoring strategies for HIV-infected persons on combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). We estimated the incremental benefit and cost effectiveness of alternative monitoring strategies for east Africans with known HIV infection.

Methods

Using a validated HIV computer simulation based on resource-limited data (USAID and AMPATH) and circumstances (east Africa), we compared alternative monitoring strategies for HIV-infected persons newly started on cART. We evaluated clinical, immunologic and virologic monitoring strategies, including combinations and conditional logic (e.g., only perform virologic testing if immunologic testing is positive). We calcul

SUBMITTER: Braithwaite RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3163507 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature