Gender differences in retention and survival on antiretroviral therapy of HIV-1 infected adults in Malawi

BackgroundThere is currently a dearth of knowledge on gender differences in mortality among patients on ART in Africa. MethodsUsing data from the national ART monitoring and evaluation system, a survival analysis of all healthcare workers, teachers, and police/army personnel who accessed ART in Malawi by June, September and December 2006 respectively, was undertaken. Gender differences in survival were analysed using Kaplan-Meier estimates and rate ratios were derived from Poisson regression adjusting for confounding.Results4670 ART patients (49.8% female) were followed up for a median of 8.7 months after starting ART. Probability of death was significantly higher for men than women (