Same-day antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation in pregnancy is not associated with viral suppression or engagement in care: A cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Many prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programmes across Africa initiate HIV-infected (HIV positive) pregnant women on lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) on the first day of antenatal care ("same-day" initiation). However, there are concerns that same-day initiation may limit patient preparation before starting ART and contribute to subsequent non-adherence, disengagement from care and raised viral load. We examined if same-day initiation was associated with viral suppression and engagement in care during pregnancy.

Methods

Consecutive ART-eligible pregnant women making their first antenatal care (ANC) visit at a primary care facility in Cape Town, South Africa were enrolled into a prospective cohort between March 2013 and June 2014. Before July

SUBMITTER: Langwenya N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6016637 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature