Factors associated with post-treatment control of viral load in HIV-infected patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with maintenance of viral suppression after antiretroviral therapy (ART) discontinuation. METHODS: Databases were searched for studies published between 1 January, 2011, and 1 July, 2022 that correlated the time of virus rebound with treatment interruption (TI). The corresponding data were extracted from these studies. A fixed-effects model was used to calculate pooled estimates. RESULTS: Thirty-one studies were included in this analysis. Results showed that patients who started ART during acute or early infection had longer viral control than those who started ART during chronic infection. It has been reported that some broadly neutralising HIV-1-specific antibodies can significantly prolong viral inhibition. The study also found that approximately 7.2% of patients achieved post-treatment control (PTC) approximately a year after TI. CONCLUSION: ART initiation in the acute or early phases can delay viral rebound after TI. Cell-associated (CA) HIV RNA and HIV DNA have been difficult to prove as able to predict viral rebound time. Many vaccines and antibodies have also been shown to be effective in prolonging viral control in people without PTC, and more research is needed to develop alternative ART therapies that can effectively inhibit or even eliminate HIV.

• Population(s)
  • General HIV+ population
• Prevention, Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Prevention
• Engagement and Care Cascade
  • Treatment
• Prevention
  • Biomedical interventions