BackgroundThe outcomes from an antiretroviral treatment (ART) program within the public sector in Myanmar have not been reported. This study documents retention and the risk factors for attrition in a large ART public health program in Myanmar.MethodsA retrospective analysis of a cohort of adult patients enrolled in the Integrated HIV Care (IHC) Program between June 2005 and October 2011 and followed up until April 2012 is presented. The primary outcome was attrition (death or loss-follow up); a total of 10,223 patients were included in the 5-year cumulative survival analysis. Overall 5,718 patients were analyzed for the risk factors for attrition using both logistic regression and flexible parametric survival models.ResultThe mean age was 36 years, 61% of patients were male, and the median follow up was 13.7 months. Overall 8,564 (84%) patients were retained in ART program: 750 (7%) were lost to follow-up and 909 (9%) died. During the 3 years follow-up, 1,542 attritions occurred over 17,524 person years at risk, giving an incidence density of 8.8% per year. The retention rates of participants at 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months were 86, 82, 80, 77 and 74% respectively. In multivariate analysis, being male, having high WHO staging, a low CD4 count, being anaemic or having low BMI at baseline were independent risk factors for attrition; tuberculosis (TB) treatment at ART initiation, a prior ART course before program enrollment and literacy were predictors for retention in the program.ConclusionHigh retention rate of IHC program was documented within the public sector in Myanmar. Early diagnosis of HIV, nutritional support, proper investigation and treatment for patients with low CD4 counts and for those presenting with anaemia are crucial issues towards improvement of HIV program outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Co-infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or hepatitis B virus (HBV) influences the morbidity and mortality of patients with HIV. A cross sectional analysis was of 11,032 HIV-infected patients enrolled in the Integrated HIV Care Program from May 2005 to April 2012 and Epi-info 3.5 was used to determine the serological prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The mean ± standard deviation age of patients was 36 ± 8.4 years (adult cohort) and 7 ± 3 years (paediatric cohort). The sero prevalence of hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis C (anti HCV antibodies) and triple infection are 8.7%, 5.3% and 0.35%, respectively. Men who have sex with men are at the highest risk of being co-infected with hepatitis B while intravenous drug users are at the highest risk of being co-infected with hepatitis C. It is important to screen for hepatitis B and C in HIV infected people in order to provide quality care for HIV patients with co-infection.