Category Archives: Treatment
Adherence to antiretroviral medications among persons who inject drugs in transitional, low and middle income countries: An international systematic review
Adherence to antiretroviral (ART) medication is vital to reducing morbidity and mortality among HIV positive persons. People who inject drugs (PWID) are at high risk for HIV infection in transitional/low/middle...
Is there scope for cost savings and efficiency gains in HIV services? A systematic review of the evidence from low- and middle-income countries
OBJECTIVE: To synthesize the data available–on costs, efficiency and economies of scale and scope–for the six basic programmes of the UNAIDS Strategic Investment Framework, to inform those planning the scale-up...
Experience of persistent psychological symptoms and perceived stigma among people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART): A systematic review
BACKGROUND: Advances in HIV care have resulted in increasing numbers of HIV patients receiving antiretroviral therapy and achieving viral control. This has led to a focus on the biomedical aspects...
Mobile phone text messaging interventions for HIV and other chronic diseases: An overview of systematic reviews and framework for evidence transfer
Background Strong international commitment and the widespread use of antiretroviral therapy have led to higher longevity for people living with human immune deficiency virus (HIV). Text messaging interventions have been...
Early versus delayed antiretroviral therapy for HIV and Tuberculosis co-infected patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
OBJECTIVE: To compare important clinical outcomes between early and delayed initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in adults who had a co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB). METHODS:...
Limited reporting of major harms in studies of initial combination antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review
OBJECTIVES: Risk-benefit assessment of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) requires consideration of all potential serious harms. Studies of initial cART may permit identification of associations between particular regimens and uncommon harms,...
Intimate partner violence and engagement in HIV care and treatment among women: A systematic review and meta-analysis
OBJECTIVE: We aimed to estimate the odds of engagement in HIV care and treatment among HIV-positive women reporting intimate partner violence (IPV). DESIGN: We systematically reviewed the literature on the...
Retention in care prior to antiretroviral treatment eligibility in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review of the literature
OBJECTIVE: We aimed at summarising rates and factors associated with retention in HIV care prior to antiretroviral treatment (ART) eligibility in sub-Saharan Africa. DESIGN: We conducted a systematic literature review...
Are there differences in disease progression and mortality among male and female HIV patients on antiretroviral therapy? A meta-analysis of observational cohorts
Studies examining the sex differences in morbidity and mortality among HIV/AIDS patients have yielded inconsistent results. We conducted a meta-analysis of sex differences in disease progression and mortality among HIV/AIDS...
A systematic review of treatment fatigue among HIV-infected patients prescribed antiretroviral therapy
HIV treatment requires lifelong adherence to medication regimens that comprise inconvenient scheduling, adverse side effects, and lifestyle changes. Antiretroviral adherence and treatment fatigue have been inextricably linked. Adherence in HIV-infected...
A systematic review of a single-class maintenance strategy with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors in HIV/AIDS
BACKGROUND: Single drug class regimens with nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) are generally not recommended as initial therapy, because they were inferior compared to therapy with 2 NRTIs plus efavirenz....
Longitudinal and cross sectional assessments of health utility in adults with HIV/AIDS: A systematic review and meta-analysis
BackgroundUtility estimates are important health outcomes for economic evaluation of care and treatment interventions for patients with HIV/AIDS. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of utility measurements to examine...
