Survival status and factors influencing survival of HIV/AIDS patients with low-level viremia in Guizhou Province
Objective To understand the survival status and influencing factors of HIV/AIDS patients who developed low-level viremia (LLV) after receiving antiretroviral therapy in Guizhou Province from 2016 to 2022. Methods Historical records of HIV/AIDS patients in Guizhou Province were downloaded from the China AIDS Comprehensive Prevention and Treatment Information System. The retrospective cohort method was used to calculate the survival rate usingthe life table method,and the Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve. The Cox proportional risk regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting survival time. Results A total of 12240 patients with LLV were included,among which 854 had died. The observation time range of cases was 0.5-6.92 years,with the M (P25,P75) years of 3.75 (2.42,5.00) years. The cumulative survival rates at 1,2,3,and 6 years after receiving antiviral treatment were 99.11%,97.00%,94.36%,and 85.27%,respectively. The multivariate Cox proportional risk model analysis showed the risk factors for mortality among LLV patients included being male,unmarried (aHR:1.640,95%CI:1.243-2.163),divorced or widowed and unknown (aHR:1.193,95%CI:1.031-1.381),being of the Buyi ethnicity (aHR:1.625,95%CI:1.310-2.015),illiteracy,heterosexual transmission,baseline WHO clinical stage Ⅳ (aHR:1.596,95%CI:1.322-1.927),baseline CD4+T lymphocytes<200 cells/µL,initial treatment regimen being a second-line treatment regimen (aHR:1.835,95%CI:1.208-2.786),age≥40 years (aHR:1.498,95%CI:1.035-2.168) and ≥50 years (aHR:3.514,95%CI:2.468-5.003) at the beginning of ART,time from diagnosis to treatment ≥1 year (aHR:1.310,95%CI:1.009-1.702) years,absence of compound sulfamethoxazole usage history,high-level LLV(HLLV) 400-999 copies/mL (aHR:1.446,95%CI:1.228-1.702),and experiencing LLV only once or intermittently (intermittent low-level viremia,iLLV). Conclusions There are many factors affecting the survival time of patients with low-level viremia. High attention should be paid and comprehensive consideration should be given to formulating treatment and follow-up management measures to improve patients' quality of life.