Analysis of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected men who have sex with men in Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan Province

Objective To examine the prevalence and influencing factors of receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and its effectiveness among HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) in Dehong Prefecture of Yunnan Province. Methods Data were collected from the National Information System for Comprehensive AIDS Prevention and Control, tabulated descriptively and were further subject to statistical analysis. Results In total 90 participants were recruited for the study, among which 71(78.9%) were Chinese and 19 (21.1%) were foreigners,of whom 68(75.6%) have received ART. The median days from diagnosis of HIV infection to ART initiation was 19.5(IQR:7.0-66.5). Logistic regression analysis indicated that receiving ART was significantly associated with nationality (OR_{foreigners vs Chinese}=0.28, 95%CI:0.09-0.93) and ethnicity(OR_{minorities vs Han}=0.31,95%CI:0.10-0.97). Fifty-one participants were currently under ART and routine follow-up. Among them, the average CD4 cell account was (383.43±226.41)/μL at baseline and (665.63±364.10)/μL at the last follow-up visit,with an increase of (282.20±276.02)/μL. Forty-two (82.4%) of them were tested for plasma HIV viral load (VL). Of them, 92.85%(39/42) had undetectable VL (<50 copies/mL),3 (7.14%) had VL between 50 copies/mL to <1 000 copies/mL, with no cases having VL>1 000 copies/mL. ConclusionThe percentage of receiving ART among HIV-infected MSM in Dehong Prefecture is relatively high, with fairly good effectiveness of treatment. More efforts are needed to improve ART coverage among foreigners and ethnic minorities.