Findings from University of Cape Town Broaden Understanding of HIV/AIDS

Scientists discuss in "Time to initiation of antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa" new findings in HIV/AIDS. "We studied the time interval between starting tuberculosis treatment and commencing antiretroviral treatment (ART) in HIV-infected patients (n=1433; median CD4 count 71 cells per microliter, interquartile range: 32-132) attending 3 South African township ART services between 2002 and 2008. The overall median delay was 2.66 months (interquartile range: 1.58-4.17)," scientists in Cape Town, South Africa report.

"In adjusted analyses, delays varied between treatment sites but were shorter for patients with lower CD4 counts and those treated in more recent calendar years. During the most recent period (2007-2008), 4.7%, 19.7%, and 51.1% of patients started ART within 2, 4, and 8 weeks of tuberculosis treatment, respectively," wrote S.D. Lawn and colleagues, University of Cape Town.

The researchers concluded: "Operational barriers must be tackled to permit further acceleration of ART initiation as recommended by."

Lawn and colleagues published their study in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (Time to initiation of antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV-associated tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 2011;57(2):136-40).

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