A retrospective descriptive investigation of adult patients receiving third-line antiretroviral therapy in the North West province, South Africa

Abstract

Greater access and prolonged exposure to ART may inevitably lead to more treatment failure and increase the need for third-line ART (TLART) in a resource-limited setting. Objective: To describe characteristics and resistance patterns of adult patients initiated on TLART in three districts of the North West province. Method: All-inclusive retrospective descriptive investigation. Demographics and clinical variables were recorded from adult patient health records (2002-2017) and analysed. Results: 21 Patients (17 females, 4 males) with median (IQR) age of 34 years (30.2-37.8) at HIV diagnosis and 45 years (39.5-47) at TLART initiation were included. Median duration (days) from HIV diagnosis to first-line ART initiation was 101 (37-367), treatment duration on first-line, second-line and between second-line failure and TLART initiation were: 1 269 (765-2 343); 1 512 (706-2096) and 71 (58-126) days respectively.