Determinants of viral load non-suppression among people living with HIV on anti-retroviral therapy in Kumasi, Ghana.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the rate and factors associated with viral load non-suppression among adults living with HIV/AIDS on active anti-retroviral therapy (ART).

DESIGN

A retrospective cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Three ART clinics in Kumasi, Ghana.

PARTICIPANTS

All HIV-infected adults who were ≥18 years and on active ART for 12 months and whose viral load had been estimated were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Unsuppressed viral load among patients on ART.

RESULTS

In all, 483 HIV patients were included in the study, with 369 (76.4%) achieving viral load suppression. Gender, educational level, comorbidity status, and duration on ART were independently associated with viral non-suppression (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study has revealed that the rate of viral suppression in the study area is lower than the UNAIDS 90% target. The findings have implications on designing new and stemming up implementation of existing interventions to improve the rate of viral suppression among patients in the study area. It is also necessary that more of such studies are replicated in other parts of the country to identify risk factors for virological failure among patients on ART.

FUNDING

No funding was obtained for this study.