Retreatment after loss of follow-up in adolescent and young adult patients living with HIV: a case-control study.

OBJECTIVE

to identify factors associated with retreatment after loss to follow-up among adolescents and young adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

METHOD: paired case-control study (1:1 ratio) with data collection from medical records. The cases were adolescents and young adults diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome who underwent retreatment after loss to follow-up. The controls were adolescents and young adults diagnosed with the disease who were lost to follow-up and had no history of retreatment. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

76 cases and 76 controls were included. The variable associated with the highest chance of retreatment was not having a religion (ORaj: 3.46; 95% CI: 1.52-7.88; p=0.003). The factors that decreased the chances of retreatment were 21.91 years of age at the beginning of follow-up (ORaj: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62-0.98; p=0.039), female gender (ORaj: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03-0.45; p=0.001), living in an institution (ORaj: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.12-0.43; p=0.004), alcohol use (ORaj: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.08-0.49; p<0.001), diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus at the Treatment and Counseling Center (ORaj: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.13-0.74; p=0.008), and missed appointment(s) before loss to follow-up (ORaj: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.07-0.52; p=0.001).

CONCLUSION

the return to treatment of adolescents and young people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus is multifactorially determined by sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical profiles.