Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Antiretroviral treatment uptake in patients with HIV associated TB attending co-located TB and ART services
Abstract
Methods. In a retrospective cohort study, all HIV-associated TB patients (.18 years old) who commenced TB treatment in 2010 were included. Data were analysed using basic descriptive statistics and log-binomial regression analysis.
Results. Of a total of 497 patients diagnosed with HIV-associated TB, 274 were eligible to start ART for the first time (median CD4 count, 159 cells/ƒÊl). ART was started during TB treatment by 220 (80.3%) patients. Among the 54 (19.7%) who did not start ART, 23 (42.6%) were either lost to follow-up (LTFU) or died before enrolling for ART; 12 (22.2%) were either LTFU or died after enrolling but before starting ART; 5 (9.3%) were transferred out; and 14 (25.9%) only started ART after completion of TB treatment. The median delay between starting TB treatment and starting ART was 51 days (IQR 29 - 77). Overall, only 58.6% of patients started ART within 8 weeks of TB treatment, and 12.7% of those with CD4 counts <50 cells/ƒÊl started ART within 2 weeks.
Conclusions. In a setting with co-located TB and ART clinics, delays to starting ART were substantial, and one-fifth of eligible patients did
not start ART during TB treatment. Co-location of services alone is insufficient to permit timely initiation of ART; further measures need
to be implemented to facilitate integrated treatment.
