Viral suppression among adolescents on HIV treatment in the Sedibeng District, Gauteng province.
Sibongile Mabizela, Brian Van Wyk
PMID 36226955WHAT IT FOUND
Good adherence was the only factor linked to viral suppression in adolescents on HIV treatment.
Ninety-eight percent of those with good adherence achieved suppression, compared to twenty-five percent of those with poor adherence. No other demographic or clinical factor showed a significant association.
Key findings
01Adherence was the only variable significantly associated with viral suppression, with 98.1% of adolescents with good adherence achieving suppression versus 25.0% of those with poor adherence.
02Age, gender, WHO stage, CD4 count, TB history, regimen type, duration on ART, and disclosure were not significantly associated with viral suppression.
03The overall viral suppression rate among the adolescents studied was 74%, which is below the 90% UNAIDS target.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study design was retrospective, so it cannot establish that adherence caused viral suppression. The sample size was small (192 adolescents), which prevented multivariate analysis to control for confounding factors. There was significant missing data for key variables like education, adherence, and CD4 counts, which may have introduced bias. Adherence was assessed from clinical records rather than direct observation or pill counts, which may have overestimated true adherence levels.
Declared interests
The text does not specify funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations for the authors.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that demographic factors like age or gender are the primary drivers of treatment failure in this group. The study found no significant association between these factors and viral suppression; adherence was the only variable that mattered.