Category Archives: Prevention, Engagement and Care Cascade
A comparative systematic review of the optimal CD4 cell count threshold for HIV treatment initiation
HIV infection is no longer characterized by high morbidity, rapid progression to AIDS, and death as when the infection was first identified. While anti-retroviral drugs have improved the outcome of...
A systematic review of individual and contextual factors affecting ART initiation, adherence, and retention for HIV-infected pregnant and postpartum women
BACKGROUND: Despite progress reducing maternal mortality, HIV-related maternal deaths remain high, accounting, for example, for up to 24 percent of all pregnancy-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is...
Systematic review of retention of pediatric patients on HIV treatment in low and middle-income countries 2008-2013
OBJECTIVES: There are several published systematic reviews of adult retention in care after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation among adults, but limited information on pediatric retention. DESIGN: Systematic review of pediatric...
Electronic medication monitoring-informed counseling to improve adherence to combination anti-retroviral therapy and virologic treatment outcomes: A meta-analysis
BACKGROUND: Adherence to combination anti-retroviral therapy for HIV infection is a primary determinant of treatment success, but is often suboptimal. Previous studies have suggested that electronic medication monitoring-informed counseling is...
A systematic review of the usefulness of statin therapy in HIV-infected patients
HIV-infected patients have a greater prevalence of dyslipidemia, earlier incidence and progression of atherosclerosis, and a nearly twofold increased risk for myocardial infarction compared with those not infected with HIV....
The meaning and perceived value of mind-body practices for people living with HIV: A qualitative synthesis
Mind-body practices (MBPs) are a subset of complementary medicine that represents a selection of self-care activities that may promote the health of people living with HIV (PLWH). No synthesis of...
Comparative effectiveness of tenofovir in treatment-naive HIV-infected patients: Systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: Benefits and harms of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) in HIV-infected, antiretroviral treatment (ART)-naive patients of any age have not been systematically reviewed since recent milestone trials were published. METHODS:...
The association between HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and perception of risk for infection: A systematic review
This systematic review tries to elucidate the association between what people know about HIV/AIDS and how they perceive their risk of infection. The initial search for articles yielded 1,595 abstracts,...
CD4 changes among virologically suppressed patients on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
INTRODUCTION: The effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is assessed by measuring CD4 cell counts and viral load. Recent studies have questioned the added value of routine CD4 cell count measures...
Drug interactions with direct-acting antivirals for Hepatitis C: Implications for HIV and transplant patients
OBJECTIVE: Review pharmacokinetics of new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C (HCV) infection and interactions with concomitant immunosuppressant and antiretroviral therapies (ART). DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE (1948–January 2015), EMBASE (1964–January 2015),...
Evidence of increased blood pressure and hypertension risk among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Owing to antiretroviral drug-induced endothelial dysfunction, HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) may have elevated blood pressure. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the effects of ART...
