Loading...
Many small reports have described successful treatment programs in resource-poor areas, but how does the bigger picture look? Researchers performed a meta-analysis of 10 published studies with well-defined virologic endpoints. The number of participants in each study ranged from 34 to 743, and all studies but one were based exclusively in Africa.
Overall, the mean proportion of patients with an undetectable viral load (defined as <400–500 copies/mL) was 70% after 6 months of treatment, 57% after 12 months of treatment, and 63% after 18 months of treatment. Only three studies supplied figures for response rates after 24 months of treatment (70%, 46%, and 32%). Initial median CD4-cell count did not predict better response to treatment, but pro…