TY - JOUR
T1 - Retention in HIV care and factors associated with loss to follow-up in Oman
T2 - a countrywide study from the Middle East
AU - Elgalib, Ali
AU - Shah, Samir
AU - Al-Wahaibi, Adil
AU - Al-Habsi, Zeyana
AU - Al-Fouri, Maha
AU - Lau, Richard
AU - Al-Kindi, Hanan
AU - Al-Rawahi, Bader
AU - Al-Abri, Seif
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
PY - 2021/4/29
Y1 - 2021/4/29
N2 - We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine the rate of retention in HIV care and the factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) among Omani adults living with HIV who were linked to care as of 31 December 2019. Patients (n = 1610) were identified from a central national HIV surveillance dataset. The majority (68.3%) of patients were male, and the median age was 39 years (IQR, 31–48 years). A total of 1480 patient (91.9%) were retained in care. On multivariate analysis, compared to those who received antiretroviral therapy (ART), patients who had never been on ART were 6.8 (95% CI: 3.05–15.16) times more likely to be lost to follow-up. Patients who had a latest HIV viral load (VL) of 200–999 copies/ml (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.92, 95% CI: 2.27–10.69) and ≥ 1000 copies/ml (aOR: 15.03, 95% CI: 8.31–27.19) compared to those who had a latest HIV VL of <200 copies/ml had higher odds of loss to follow-up. Moreover, patients who were divorced or widowed were 2.64 (95% CI: 1.14–6.07) times more likely to disengage from HIV services, compared to those who were married. These findings will be invaluable in developing targeted interventions that further improve patients’ retention in HIV care in Oman.
AB - We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to determine the rate of retention in HIV care and the factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) among Omani adults living with HIV who were linked to care as of 31 December 2019. Patients (n = 1610) were identified from a central national HIV surveillance dataset. The majority (68.3%) of patients were male, and the median age was 39 years (IQR, 31–48 years). A total of 1480 patient (91.9%) were retained in care. On multivariate analysis, compared to those who received antiretroviral therapy (ART), patients who had never been on ART were 6.8 (95% CI: 3.05–15.16) times more likely to be lost to follow-up. Patients who had a latest HIV viral load (VL) of 200–999 copies/ml (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 4.92, 95% CI: 2.27–10.69) and ≥ 1000 copies/ml (aOR: 15.03, 95% CI: 8.31–27.19) compared to those who had a latest HIV VL of <200 copies/ml had higher odds of loss to follow-up. Moreover, patients who were divorced or widowed were 2.64 (95% CI: 1.14–6.07) times more likely to disengage from HIV services, compared to those who were married. These findings will be invaluable in developing targeted interventions that further improve patients’ retention in HIV care in Oman.
KW - Adult
KW - Anti-HIV Agents/therapeutic use
KW - Cross-Sectional Studies
KW - Female
KW - Follow-Up Studies
KW - HIV Infections/drug therapy
KW - Humans
KW - Lost to Follow-Up
KW - Male
KW - Middle East
KW - Oman/epidemiology
KW - Viral Load
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U2 - 10.1080/09540121.2021.1916871
DO - 10.1080/09540121.2021.1916871
M3 - Article
C2 - 33910425
AN - SCOPUS:85105412936
SN - 0954-0121
VL - 34
SP - 568
EP - 574
JO - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
JF - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
IS - 5
ER -
