Safety and effectiveness of combination antiretroviral therapy during the first year of treatment in HIV-1 infected Rwandan children: a prospective study.

Abstract

With increased availability of paediatric combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in resource limited settings, cART outcomes and factors associated with outcomes should be assessed.HIV-infected children -2, immunological success as CD4 cells ≥500/mm3 and ≥25% for respectively children over 5 years and under 5 years, and virological success as a plasma HIV-1 RNA concentration 1000 c/mL). Older age at cART initiation, poor adherence, and exposure to antiretrovirals around birth were associated with virological failure. A third (33%) of children had side effects (by self-report or clinical assessment), but only 9% experienced a severe side effect requiring a cART regimen change.cART in Rwandan HIV-infected children was successful but success might be improved further by initiating cART as early as possible, optimizing adherence and optimizing management of side effects.