The effect of tuberculosis treatment on virologic and CD4+ cell count response to combination antiretroviral therapy: a systematic review

Virologic suppression and associated factors in HIV infected Ugandan female sex workers: a cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Key populations have disproportionately higher HIV prevalence rates than the general population.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the level of virologic suppression and associated factors in female Commercial Sex Workers (CSW) who completed six months of ART and compare with the female general population (GP).

METHODS

Clinical records of CSW and GPs who initiated ART between December 2014 to December 2016 from seven urban clinics were analyzed to determine virologic suppression (viral load < 1000 copies/ml) and associated factors.

RESULTS

We identified 218 CSW and 182 female GPs. CSW had median age of 28 (IQR 25-31) vs 31 (IQR 26-37); median baseline CD4 446 (IQR 308-696) vs 352 (IQR 164-493) cells/microL; and optimal ART adherence levels at 70.6% vs 92.8% respectively, compared to GP. Virologic suppression in CSW and GPs was 85.7% and 89.6% respectively, P=0.28. Overall virologic suppression in CSW was 55% while Retention in care after 6 months of ART was 77.5%. Immediate ART initiation (<2weeks) and tuberculosis independently predicted virologic suppression in CSW with adjusted odds ratios 0.07 (95% C.I. 0.01-0.55, P=0.01) and 0.09 (95% C.I. 0.01-0.96, P=0.046) respectively.

CONCLUSION

Virologic suppression in both groups is similar, however, intensified follow-up is needed to improve treatment outcomes.

Long-Term Outcomes and Risk Factors for Mortality in a Cohort of HIV-Infected Children Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Vietnam

Background

Management of HIV-infected children on a long-term basis is a challenge in resource-limited countries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term outcome and identify the risk factors for mortality in a cohort of children with antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Vietnam.

Patients and Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in children aged 0-15 years, seen at the outpatient clinic of the Women and Children Hospital of An Giang, Vietnam, from August 2006 to May 2019. Cox proportional-hazard models were used to determine factors associated with mortality.

Results

A total of 266 HIV-infected children were on ART. During 1545 child-years of follow-up (median follow-up was 5.8 years), 28 (10.5%) children died yielding a mortality rate of 1.8 death per 100 child-years. By multivariate analysis, World Health Organization clinical stage 3 or 4 (AHR; 7.86, 95% CI; 1.02-60.3, P= 0.047), tuberculosis (TB) co-infection (AHR; 6.26, 95% CI; 2.50-15.64, P= 0.001) and having severe immunosuppression before ART (AHR; 11.73, 95% CI; 1.52-90.4, P= 0.018) were independent factors for mortality in these children.

Conclusion

Antiretroviral therapy has reduced mortality in HIV-infected children in resource-limited settings. Independent risk factors for mortality were advanced clinical stage (3 or 4), TB co-infection and severe immunosuppression. Early investigation and treatment of TB co-infection allow early ART initiation which may improve outcomes in our settings.

Early and Late Virologic Failure After Virologic Suppression in HIV-Infected Asian Children and Adolescents

BACKGROUND

Virologic failure is a major threat to maintaining effective combination antiretroviral therapy, especially for children in need of lifelong treatment. With efforts to expand access to HIV viral load testing, our understanding of pediatric virologic failure is evolving.

SETTING

An Asian cohort in 16 pediatric HIV services across 6 countries.

METHODS

From 2005 to 2014, patients younger than 20 years who achieved virologic suppression and had subsequent viral load testing were included. Early virologic failure was defined as a HIV RNA ≥1000 copies per milliliter within 12 months of virologic suppression, and late virologic as a HIV RNA ≥1000 copies per milliliter after 12 months following virologic suppression. Characteristics at combination antiretroviral therapy initiation and virologic suppression were described, and a competing risk time-to-event analysis was used to determine cumulative incidence of virologic failure and factors at virologic suppression associated with early and late virologic failure.

RESULTS

Of 1105 included in the analysis, 182 (17.9%) experienced virologic failure. The median age at virologic suppression was 6.9 years, and the median time to virologic failure was 24.6 months after virologic suppression. The incidence rate for a first virologic failure event was 3.3 per 100 person-years. Factors at virologic suppression associated with late virologic failure included older age, mostly rural clinic setting, tuberculosis, protease inhibitor-based regimens, and early virologic failure. No risk factors were identified for early virologic failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Around 1 in 5 experienced virologic failure in our cohort after achieving virologic suppression. Targeted interventions to manage complex treatment scenarios, including adolescents, tuberculosis coinfection, and those with poor virologic control are required.

Immunologic and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals at a tertiary hospital in Ghana

Background

The need to study the outcome of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infected individuals in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country crucial in the era of the “Treat All” policy. The aim of this study was to analyze selected determinants of immunological and virological response to ART among HIV infected individuals in a tertiary facility in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Methods

An analytical cross sectional study with a retrospective component was conducted in the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital (CCTH), Central Region. Clients aged 18 years and above attending the HIV Clinics for ART and who were on ART for 6 months or more were recruited. The viral loads, CD4 count and other socio-demographic data were analyzed using STATA version 13 (STATA Corp, Texas USA). Descriptive analysis was done and presented with appropriate measures of central tendencies. In addition, bivariate and multivariate analysis was carried out with p value of 0.05 interpreted as evidence of association between variables.

Results

A total of 440 participants were included in this study with a mean age of 45.5 (±11.6) years. The mean CD4 count at baseline, 6 months on ART and currently at study recruitment were 215.1 cells/mm³ (±152.6), 386.6 cells/mm³ (±178.5), and 579.6 cells/mm³ (±203.0) respectively. After 6 months and 12 months on ART, the number who had achieved viral copies < 1000/ml were 149 (47.0%) and 368 (89.6%) respectively. There was strong evidence of an association between having CD4 count < 350 cells/mm³ after 6 months on ART and having a diagnosis of tuberculosis since HIV diagnosis (aOR 8.5, 95% CI 1.1–73.0, p = 0.05) and clients having plasma viral load > 1000 copies/ml after 6 months on ART (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2–3.2, p = 0.01).

Conclusion

There was good response to ART among clients, high virological suppression and immunological recovery hence low rates of change to second line ART regimen in this cohort studied. With strict adherence to the national policy on HIV testing, management of positive clients and full implementation of the “Treat All” policy, Ghana could achieve, if nothing at all, the third “90, 90, 90” target by 2020.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12879-018-3142-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Challenges Across the HIV Care Continuum for Patients With HIV/TB Co-infection in Atlanta, GA [corrected]

Background

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for persons with HIV infection prevents tuberculosis (TB) disease. Additionally, sequential ART after initiation of TB treatment improves outcomes. We examined ART use, retention in care, and viral suppression (VS) before, during, and 3 years following TB treatment for an inner-city cohort in the United States.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study among persons treated for culture-confirmed TB between 2008 and 2015 at an inner-city hospital.

Results

Among 274 persons with culture-confirmed TB, 96 (35%) had HIV co-infection, including 23 (24%) new HIV diagnoses and 73 (76%) previous diagnoses. Among those with known HIV prior to TB, the median time of known HIV was 6 years, and only 10 (14%) were on ART at the time of TB diagnosis. The median CD4 at TB diagnosis was 87 cells/uL. Seventy-four (81%) patients received ART during treatment for TB, and 47 (52%) has VS at the end of TB treatment. Only 32% of patients had continuous VS 3 years after completing TB treatment. There were 3 TB recurrences and 3 deaths post–TB treatment; none of these patients had retention or VS after TB treatment.

Conclusions

Among persons with active TB co-infected with HIV, we found that the majority had known HIV and were not on ART prior to TB diagnosis, and retention in care and VS post–TB treatment were very low. Strengthening the HIV care continuum is needed to improve HIV outcomes and further reduce rates of active TB/HIV co-infection in our and similar settings.

Long-term Outcome of Antiretroviral Treatment in Patients With and Without Concomitant Tuberculosis Receiving Health Center-Based Care-Results From a Prospective Cohort Study

Background

In order to increase treatment coverage, antiretroviral treatment (ART) is provided through primary health care in low-income high-burden countries, where tuberculosis (TB) co-infection is common. We investigated the long-term outcome of health center-based ART, with regard to concomitant TB.

Methods

ART-naïve adults were included in a prospective cohort at Ethiopian health centers and followed for up to 4 years after starting ART. All participants were investigated for active TB at inclusion. The primary study outcomes were the impact of concomitant TB on all-cause mortality, loss to follow-up (LTFU), and lack of virological suppression (VS). Kaplan-Meier survival estimates and Cox proportional hazards models with multivariate adjustments were used.

Results

In total, 141/729 (19%) subjects had concomitant TB, 85% with bacteriological confirmation (median CD4 count TB, 169 cells/mm³; IQR, 99-265; non-TB, 194 cells/mm³; IQR, 122-275). During follow-up (median, 2.5 years), 60 (8%) died and 58 (8%) were LTFU. After ≥6 months of ART, 131/630 (21%) had lack of VS. Concomitant TB did not influence the rates of death, LTFU, or VS. Male gender and malnutrition were associated with higher risk of adverse outcomes. Regardless of TB co-infection status, even after 3 years of ART, two-thirds of participants had CD4 counts below 500 cells/mm³.

Conclusions

Concomitant TB did not impact treatment outcomes in adults investigated for active TB before starting ART at Ethiopian health centers. However, one-third of patients had unsatisfactory long-term treatment outcomes and immunologic recovery was slow, illustrating the need for new interventions to optimize ART programs.

Long-term effectiveness of initiating non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor- versus ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor-based antiretroviral therapy: implications for first-line therapy choice in resource-limited settings

Introduction

In many resource-limited settings, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) failure is diagnosed clinically or immunologically. As such, there is a high likelihood that patients may stay on a virologically failing regimen for a substantial period of time. Here, we compared the long-term impact of initiating non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)- versus boosted protease inhibitor (bPI)-based cART in British Columbia (BC), Canada.

Methods

We followed prospectively 3925 ART-naïve patients who started NNRTIs (N=1963, 50%) or bPIs (N=1962; 50%) from 1 January 2000 until 30 June 2013 in BC. At six months, we assessed whether patients virologically failed therapy (a plasma viral load (pVL) >50 copies/mL), and we stratified them based on the pVL at the time of failure ≤500 versus >500 copies/mL. We then followed these patients for another six months and calculated their probability of achieving subsequent viral suppression (pVL <50 copies/mL twice consecutively) and of developing drug resistance. These probabilities were adjusted for fixed and time-varying factors, including cART adherence.

Results

At six months, virologic failure rates were 9.5 and 14.3 cases per 100 person-months for NNRTI and bPI initiators, respectively. NNRTI initiators who failed with a pVL ≤500 copies/mL had a 16% higher probability of achieving subsequent suppression at 12 months than bPI initiators (0.81 (25th–75th percentile 0.75–0.83) vs. 0.72 (0.61–0.75)). However, if failing NNRTI initiators had a pVL >500 copies/mL, they had a 20% lower probability of suppressing at 12 months than pVL-matched bPI initiators (0.37 (0.29–0.45) vs. 0.46 (0.38–0.54)). In terms of evolving HIV drug resistance, those who failed on NNRTI performed worse than bPI in all scenarios, especially if they failed with a viral load >500 copies/mL.

Conclusions

Our results show that patients who virologically failed at six months on NNRTI and continued on the same regimen had a lower probability of subsequently achieving viral suppression and a higher chance of evolving HIV drug resistance. These results suggest that improving access to regular virologic monitoring is critically important, especially if NNRTI-based cART is to remain a preferred choice for first-line therapy in resource-limited settings.

Sequencing paediatric antiretroviral therapy in the context of a public health approach

Introduction

As access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) efforts has increased, the total number of children being born with HIV has significantly decreased. However, those children who do become infected after PMTCT failure are at particular risk of HIV drug resistance, selected by exposure to maternal or paediatric antiretroviral drugs used before, during or after birth. As a consequence, the response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in these children may be compromised, particularly when non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) are used as part of the first-line regimen. We review evidence guiding choices of first- and second-line ART.

Discussion

Children generally respond relatively well to ART. Clinical trials show the superiority of protease inhibitor (PI)- over NNRTI-based treatment in young children, but observational reports of NNRTI-containing regimens are usually favourable as well. This is reassuring as national guidelines often still recommend the use of NNRTI-based treatment for PMTCT-unexposed young children, due to the higher costs of PIs. After failure of NNRTI-based, first-line treatment, the rate of acquired drug resistance is high, but HIV may well be suppressed by PIs in second-line ART. By contrast, there are currently no adequate alternatives in resource-limited settings (RLS) for children failing either first- or second-line, PI-containing regimens.

Conclusions

Affordable salvage treatment options for children in RLS are urgently needed.

Efavirenz-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Among Nevirapine-Exposed HIV-Infected Children in South Africa: A Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE

Advantages of using efavirenz as part of treatment for children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include once-daily dosing, simplification of co-treatment for tuberculosis, preservation of ritonavir-boosted lopinavir for second-line treatment, and harmonization of adult and pediatric treatment regimens. However, there have been concerns about possible reduced viral efficacy of efavirenz in children exposed to nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate whether nevirapine-exposed children achieving initial viral suppression with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy can transition to efavirenz-based therapy without risk of viral failure.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Randomized, open-label noninferiority trial conducted at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 2010 to December 2013, enrolling 300 HIV-infected children exposed to nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission who were aged 3 years or older and had plasma HIV RNA of less than 50 copies/mL during ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy; 298 were randomized and 292 (98%) were followed up to 48 weeks after randomization.

INTERVENTIONS

Participants were randomly assigned to switch to efavirenz-based therapy (n = 150) or continue ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy (n = 148).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Risk difference between groups in (1) viral rebound (ie, ≥1 HIV RNA measurement of >50 copies/mL) and (2) viral failure (ie, confirmed HIV RNA >1000 copies/mL) with a noninferiority bound of -0.10. Immunologic and clinical responses were secondary end points.

RESULTS

The Kaplan-Meier probability of viral rebound by 48 weeks was 0.176 (n = 26) in the efavirenz group and 0.284 (n = 42) in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir group. Probabilities of viral failure were 0.027 (n = 4) in the efavirenz group and 0.020 (n = 3) in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir group. The risk difference for viral rebound was 0.107 (1-sided 95% CI, 0.028 to ∞) and for viral failure was -0.007 (1-sided 95% CI, -0.036 to ∞). We rejected the null hypothesis that efavirenz is inferior to ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (P < .001) for both end points. By 48 weeks, CD4 cell percentage was 2.88% (95% CI, 1.26%-4.49%) higher in the efavirenz group than in the ritonavir-boosted lopinavir group.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among HIV-infected children exposed to nevirapine for prevention of mother-to-child transmission and with initial viral suppression with ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy, switching to efavirenz-based therapy compared with continuing ritonavir-boosted lopinavir-based therapy did not result in significantly higher rates of viral rebound or viral failure. This therapeutic approach may offer advantages in children such as these.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01146873.

HIV treatment cascade in tuberculosis patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Globally, the number of deaths associated with tuberculosis (TB) and HIV coinfection remains unacceptably high. We review the evidence around the impact of strengthening the HIV treatment cascade in TB patients and explore recent findings about how best to deliver integrated TB/HIV services.

RECENT FINDINGS

There is clear evidence that the timely provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces mortality in TB/HIV coinfected adults. Despite this, globally in 2013, only around a third of known HIV-positive TB cases were treated with ART. Although there is some recent evidence exploring the barriers to achieve high coverage of HIV testing and ART initiation in TB patients, our understanding of which factors are most important and how best to address these within different health systems remains incomplete. There are some examples of good practice in the delivery of integrated TB/HIV services to improve the HIV treatment cascade. However, evidence of the impact of such strategies is of relatively low quality for informing integrated TB/HIV programming more broadly. In most settings, there remain barriers to higher-level organizational and functional integration.

SUMMARY

There remains a need for commitment to patient-centred integrated TB/HIV care in countries affected by the dual epidemic. There is a need for better quality evidence around how best to deliver integrated services to strengthen the HIV treatment cascade in TB patients, both at primary healthcare level and within community settings.

CD4+ cell count responses to antiretroviral therapy are not impaired in HIV-infected individuals with tuberculosis co-infection

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether HIV-infected individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis (HIV-TB) around the time of starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) have impaired CD4 cell responses to treatment.

DESIGN

Analysis of a national cohort of HIV-infected adults, linked to the national TB surveillance system for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including individuals starting ART from 2005 to 2009.

METHODS

We compared CD4 cell responses in HIV-infected individuals starting ART with a TB diagnosis ('HIV-TB cohort') with those not known to have TB ('TB-free cohort'). The TB-free cohort was frequency-matched to the HIV-TB cases for sex, age strata, baseline CD4 strata and ethnicity. Median change in CD4 cell count from baseline (ΔCD4) was calculated at 6-monthly intervals until 36 months.

RESULTS

There were 593 and 1779 individuals in the HIV-TB and TB-free cohorts, respectively (median follow-up 3.8 years). In both cohorts, median age was 36 years, 49.2% were women and 74.9% were black-African. Median baseline CD4 at the start of treatment was similar in the HIV-TB and TB-free cohorts (74 vs. 80 cells/μl). Median ΔCD4 was similar in HIV-TB and TB-free cohorts at all time points [294 (inter-quartile range 198-424) cells/μl in HIV-TB cohort; 296 (inter-quartile range 196-431) cells/μl in TB-free cohort after 3 years of ART]. A higher proportion of the HIV-TB cohort than the TB-free cohort died during follow-up (4.2 vs. 2.2%; P = 0.01); 78.5% of all individuals who died had a baseline CD4 cell count below 100 cells/μl.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term CD4 cell recovery during ART appears similar in HIV-TB and TB-free patients. Significant mortality in both cohorts highlights the need for earlier HIV diagnosis and ART initiation.

Efficacy and Safety of Antiretroviral Therapy Initiated One Week after Tuberculosis Therapy in Patients with CD4 Counts < 200 Cells/μL: TB-HAART Study, a Randomized Clinical Trial

Background

Given the high death rate the first two months of tuberculosis (TB) therapy in HIV patients, it is critical defining the optimal time to initiate combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).

Methods

A randomized, open-label, clinical trial comparing efficacy and safety of efavirenz-based cART initiated one week, four weeks, and eight weeks after TB therapy in patients with baseline CD4 count < 200 cells/μL was conducted. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality rate at 48 weeks. The secondary endpoints were hepatotoxicity-requiring interruption of TB therapy, TB-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, new AIDS defining illnesses, CD4 counts, HIV RNA levels, and AFB smear conversion rates. All analyses were intention-to-treat.

Results

We studied 478 patients with median CD4 count of 73 cells/μL and 5.2 logs HIV RNA randomized to week one (n = 163), week four (n = 160), and week eight (n = 155). Sixty-four deaths (13.4%) occurred in 339.2 person-years. All-cause mortality rates at 48 weeks were 25 per 100 person-years in week one, 18 per 100 person-years in week four and 15 per 100 person-years in week eight (P = 0.2 by the log-rank test). All-cause mortality incidence rate ratios in subgroups with CD4 count below 50 cells/μL versus above were 2.8 in week one (95% CI 1.2–6.7), 3.1 in week four (95% CI 1.2–8.6) and 5.1 in week eight (95% CI 1.8–16). Serum albumin < 3gms/dL (adjusted HR, aHR = 2.3) and CD4 < 50 cells/μL (aHR = 2.7) were independent predictors of mortality. Compared with similar subgroups from weeks four and eight, first-line TB treatment interruption was high in week one deaths (P = 0.03) and in the CD4 subgroup <50 cells/μL (P = 0.02).

Conclusions

Antiretroviral therapy one week after TB therapy doesn’t improve overall survival. Despite increased mortality with CD4 < 50 cells/μL, we recommend cART later than the first week of TB therapy to avoid serious hepatotoxicity and treatment interruption.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT 01315301

The effect of tuberculosis treatment on virologic and immunologic response to combination antiretroviral therapy among South African children

BACKGROUND

Many HIV-infected children are diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB), but the effect of TB treatment on virologic and immunologic response to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is not well documented.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of cART-naive HIV-infected South African children aged 0-8 years initiating cART to assess the effect of TB treatment at the time of cART initiation on virologic suppression (HIV RNA < 50 copies/mL), virologic rebound (HIV RNA > 1000 copies/mL after suppression), and CD4 cell percent (CD4%) increase during the first 24 months of cART.

RESULTS

Of 199 children (median age 2.1 years), 92 (46%) were receiving TB treatment at cART initiation. Children receiving and not receiving TB treatment at cART initiation had similar median baseline HIV RNA (5.4 vs. 5.6 copies/mL), median time to virologic suppression (6.2 months in each group, adjusted hazard ratio, 1.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.94 to 1.96), and rates of virologic rebound by 24 months (23% vs. 24%, adjusted hazard ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval: 0.71 to 3.30). Children on TB treatment had significantly lower median CD4% at baseline (15.3% vs. 18.8%, P < 0.01) and during the first 12 months of cART but experienced similar median increases in CD4% at 6 months (9.9% vs. 9.6%), 12 months (14.2% vs. 11.9%), and 24 months of cART (14.5% vs. 14.2%). Exploratory analyses suggest that children receiving lopinavir/ritonavir-based cART and TB treatment may have inferior virologic and immunologic response compared with children receiving efavirenz-based cART.

CONCLUSIONS

Receiving TB treatment at the time of cART initiation did not substantially affect virologic or immunologic response to cART in young children.

High rates of virological suppression in a cohort of human immunodeficiency virus-positive adults receiving antiretroviral therapy in ethiopian health centers irrespective of concomitant tuberculosis

Rates of virological suppression after 6 months of ART were high in a cohort of 678 HIV-positive adults managed in Ethiopian health centers, with no significant difference with regard to concomitant tuberculosis at baseline (TB 135; non-TB 543).

Background.

 Antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation during treatment for tuberculosis (TB) improves survival in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/TB-coinfected patients. We compared virological suppression (VS) rates, mortality, and retention in care in HIV-positive adults receiving care in 5 Ethiopian health centers with regard to TB coinfection.

Methods.

 Human immunodeficiency virus-positive ART-naive adults eligible for ART initiation were prospectively recruited. At inclusion, all patients underwent microbiological investigations for TB (sputum smear, liquid culture, and polymerase chain reaction). Virological suppression rates after 6 months of ART (VS; viral load <40 and <400 copies/mL) with regard to TB status was the primary outcome. The impact of HIV/TB coinfection on VS rates was determined by multivariate regression analysis. Mortality and retention in care were analyzed by proportional hazard models.

Results.

 Among 812 participants (TB, 158; non-TB, 654), 678 started ART during the follow-up period (TB, 135; non-TB, 543). No difference in retention in care between TB and non-TB patients was observed during follow-up; 25 (3.7%) patients died, and 17 (2.5%) were lost to follow-up (P = .30 and P = .83, respectively). Overall rates of VS at 6 months were 72.1% (<40 copies/mL) and 88.7% (<400 copies/mL), with similar results for subjects with and without TB coinfection (<40 copies/mL: 65 of 92 [70.7%] vs 304 of 420 [72.4%], P = .74; <400 copies/mL: 77 of 92 [83.7%] vs 377 of 420 [89.8%], P = .10, respectively).

Conclusions.

 High rates of VS can be achieved in adults receiving ART at health centers, with no significant difference with regard to TB coinfection. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of combined ART and anti-TB treatment in primary healthcare in low-income countries.

Clinical Trials Registration.

 NCT01433796.