Category Archives: Treatment
What do HIV-positive drug users’ experiences tell us about their antiretroviral medication-taking? An international integrated literature review
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: HIV-positive drug users’ poor adherence to antiretroviral regimens can pose a significant and negative impact on individual and global health. This review aims to identify knowledge gaps...
Strategies for retention of heterosexual men in HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review
Expansion of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programs in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased the number of people accessing treatment. However, the number of males accessing and being retained along the human...
Effectiveness and safety of dolutegravir two-drug regimens in virologically suppressed people living with HIV: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis of real-world evidence
Objectives: Dolutegravir (DTG) is widely recommended within three-drug regimens. However, similar efficacy and tolerability have also been achieved with DTG within two-drug regimens in clinical trials. This study evaluated the real-world...
The impact of antiretroviral therapy on neurocognitive outcomes among people living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): A systematic review
Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. The scale-up of antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced mortality, but HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment (HANI) remains prevalent, which impacts...
Risk factors for loss to follow-up from antiretroviral therapy programmes in low-income and middle-income countries
Introduction: Loss to follow-up (LTFU) rates from antiretroviral treatment (ART) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) are high, leading to poor treatment outcomes and onward transmission of HIV. Knowledge of...
Global burden of active smoking among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: Although the high burden of both active smoking and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is clearly known, the relationship between them is still not well characterized. Therefore, we estimated the...
Impact of advanced HIV disease on quality of life and mortality in the era of combined antiretroviral treatment
Currently, AIDS or severe immunodeficiency remains as a challenge for people with HIV (PWHIV) and healthcare providers. Our purpose was to analyze the impact of advanced HIV disease (AHD) on...
A mega-aggregation framework synthesis of the barriers and facilitators to linkage, adherence to ART and retention in care among people living with HIV
BACKGROUND: People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) struggle with the challenges of living with a chronic disease and integrating antiretroviral treatment (ART) and care into their daily lives. The...
Cabotegravir-Rilpivirine: The first complete long-acting injectable regimen for the treatment of HIV-1 infection
OBJECTIVE: To review the efficacy and safety of cabotegravir (CAB) with rilpivirine (RPV) in the treatment of HIV-1 infection. DATA SOURCES: A literature search was performed using PubMed and Google...
Neurotoxicities in the treatment of HIV between dolutegravir, rilpivirine and dolutegravir/rilpivirine: A meta-analysis
Objective: To assess the risk of neuropsychiatric adverse effects (ie, depression, anxiety, insomnia, dizziness, suicidal behaviour) among patients treated with rilpivirine, dolutegravir and dolutegravir/rilpivirine. Design: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of...
Predictors of lost to follow up from antiretroviral therapy among adults in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Background: It is known that ‘drop out’ from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment, the so called lost-to-follow-up (LTFU) occurs to persons enrolled in HIV care services. However, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),...
