Pilot study of antiretroviral therapy in Djibouti

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 112 HIV positive patients who had received antiretroviral therapy for 3 months to assess the efficacy of treatment (viral load 400 copies/mL). The median age at enrolment was 36 years, 90% of patients were at the AIDS stage and median CD4 rate was 118/mm3. Patients received a combined treatment of 2 NRTI +1 NNRTI (51 %), 3 NRTI (45%) and 2 NRTI+1 PI (4%). Virological efficacy was seen in 74% of the patients, irrespective of the prescribed protocol and the initial clinical and immunological profile. Mean improvements measured were 20% on the Karnofsky index (KI), 2.1 kg/m2 in body mass index and 82 cells/mm3in CD4. The prevalence of side effects was 84%. The predictors for treatment success were quality of care and KI 70%.