2014 Articles

Determinants of Mortality and Loss to Follow-Up among Adults Enrolled in HIV Care Services in Rwanda

Mugisha, Veronicah; Teasdale, Chloe A.; Wang, Chunhui; Lahuerta Sanau, Maria; Nuwagaba-Biribonwoha, Harriet; Tayebwa, Edwin; Ingabire, Eugenie; Ingabire, Pacifique; Sahabo, Ruben; Twyman, Peter; Abrams, Elaine J.

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) improves morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV, however high rates of loss to follow-up (LTF) and mortality have been documented in HIV care and treatment programs. We analyzed routinely-collected data on HIV-infected patients ≥15 years enrolled at 41 healthcare facilities in Rwanda from 2005 to 2010. LTF was defined as not attending clinic in the last 12 months for pre-ART patients and 6 months for ART patients. For the pre-ART period, sub-distribution hazards models were constructed to estimate LTF and death to account for competing risks. Kaplan-Meier (KM) and Cox proportional hazards models were used for patients on ART. Low rates of LTF and death were founds among pre-ART and ART patients in Rwanda but greater efforts are needed to retain patients in care prior to ART initiation, particularly among those who are healthy at enrollment.