Viral suppression in adults, adolescents and children receiving antiretroviral therapy in Cameroon: Adolescents at high risk of virological failure in the era of "test and treat"

Background: After the launching of the "Test & Treat" strategy and the wider accessibility to viral load (VL), evaluating virological success (VS) would help in meeting the UNAIDS targets by 2020 in Cameroon.Setting and methods: Cross-sectional study conducted in the Chantal BIYA International Reference Centre for research on HIV/AIDS prevention and management (CIRCB), Yaounde, Cameroon; data generated between October 2016 and August 2017 amongst adults, adolescents and children at 12, 24, 36 and >= 48 months on ART. VS was defined as < 1000 copies/mL of blood plasma and controlled viremia as VL < 50 copies/mL. Data were analysed by SPSS; p < 0.05 considered as significant.Results: 1946 patients (70% female) were enrolled (1800 adults, 105 adolescents, 41 children); 1841 were on NNRTI-based and 105 on PI-based therapy; with 346 patients at M12, 270 at M24, 205 at M36 and 1125 at >= M48. The median (IQR) duration on was 48 months (24-48). Overall, VS was 79.4% (95% CI 77.6-81.2) and 67.1% (95% CI 64.9-69.1) had controlled viral replication. On NNRTI-based, VS was 79.9% vs. 71.4% on PIs-based, p = 0.003. By ART duration, VS was 84.1% (M12), 85.9% (M24), 75.1% (M36) and 77.2% (>= M48), p = 0.001. By age, VS was 75.6% (children), 53.3% (adolescents) and 81.1% (adults), p < 0.001.Conclusions: In this sub-population of patients receiving ART in Cameroon, about 80% might be experiencing VS, with declining performance at adolescence, with NNRTI-based regimens, and as from 36 months on ART. Thus, improving VS may require an adapted adherence support mechanism, especially for adolescents with long-term treatment in resource-limited settings

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone