Outcomes of antiretroviral treatment in HIV-infected adults: a dynamic and observational cohort study in Shenzhen, China, 2003–2014

Below: CD4 cell count response after antiretroviral treatment (ART) initiation. (A) Median (IQR) CD4 cell count increase from ART initiation, stratified by immunological success and failure. (B) Median (IQR) CD4 cell count increase from ART initiation, stratified by baseline CD4 cell count.

In China, the number of people infected with HIV is 740 000 in estimation. Among these, a cumulative 436 817 people living with HIV/AIDS had been identified up to December 2013, including 173 825 people with AIDS. Since the China National Free Antiretroviral Treatment Program (NFATP) was established in 2003, the remarkable acceleration in treatment has been obvious. By December 2013, more than 278 000 people have received first-line highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Along with the increasing treatment coverage, overall mortality rates have fallen from 39.3 deaths per 100 person-years in 2000 to 14.2 deaths per 100 person-years in 2009. All HIV-infected individuals who meet the national treatment criteria are eligible to receive treatment, and treatment has been implemented in all 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China.

The limitations of previous studies reporting the effects of HAART in developing countries were the relatively small sample sizes or short durations of follow-up. Fortunately, our study reports the 10-year outcomes of virological and immunological treatment failure rates and their associated risk factors for all adult patients enrolled in the NFATP in Shenzhen.

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