Clinical Profile and Determinants of Loss to Follow-Up in Patients Enrolled in an Urban Antiretroviral Treatment Programme in Northwestern Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

Loss of follow up in patients enrolled on antiretroviral treatment programmes has the potential to reduce their quality of life. We set out to describe the profile and risk factors for loss to follow up in patients enrolled on our programme.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this retrospective study, we reviewed the records of patients who were identified as lost to follow up between August 2008 to July 2018. Determinants of loss to follow-up were identified by the use of binary logistic regression with SPSS to compare the data of patients lost to follow-up with randomly selected patients who were still in care.

RESULTS

A total of 4,250 patients were enrolled on our programme during the study period. Of these, 965 patients were identified as lost to follow-up, giving a loss to follow up rate of 22.7%. Compared to patients still in care, patients who were lost to follow up were significantly male (male, n =395, 56% versus female, n= 310, 44%, p<0.0001), of younger age (33.53+9.05 versus 34.48+9.25 years, p = 0.028), married (married, n = 669, 58.9% versus not married n = 467, 41.1%, p<0.0001) and with evidence of low crude weight at the time of recruitment (58.58+12.12 versus 60.09+14.58 kg, p = 0.018).

CONCLUSION

Our study showed that patients who are young, male, married, recently enrolled, with evidence of the low crude weight, with WHO Clinical Stages III and IV and anaemia at enrolment are commonly lost to follow-up. Clinicians need to target this population to reduce the loss of follow up in patients on antiretroviral therapy.