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. 2023 Dec;35(12):1928-1937.
doi: 10.1080/09540121.2023.2176424. Epub 2023 Feb 15.

Disclosure of HIV status and associated clinical outcomes of children and adolescents living with HIV in Asia

Johanna Beulah Sornillo  1 , Rossana Ditangco  2 , Pagakrong Lumbiganon  3 , Thien An Vu  4 , Oanh Ngoc Le  5 , Khanh Huu Truong  6 , Lam Van Nguyen  7 , Viet Chau Do  4 , Pradthana Ounchanum  8 , Dewi Kumara Wati  9 , Thanyawee Puthanakit  10 , Nia Kurniati  11 , Keswadee Lapphra  12 , Tavitiya Sudjaritruk  13 , Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy  14 , Thahira A Jamal Mohamed  15 , Nik Khairulddin Nik Yusoff  16 , Siew Moy Fong  17 , Revathy A Nallusamy  18 , Annette H Sohn  19 , Azar Kariminia  20
Affiliations

Disclosure of HIV status and associated clinical outcomes of children and adolescents living with HIV in Asia

Johanna Beulah Sornillo et al. AIDS Care. 2023 Dec.

Abstract

Disclosure of HIV status is an important part of pediatric care. We studied disclosure and clinical outcomes in a multi-country Asian cohort of children and adolescents with HIV. Those 6-19 years of age who initiated combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) between 2008 and 2018, and who had at least one follow-up clinic visit were included. Data up to December 2019 were analyzed. Cox and competing risk regression analyses were used to assess the effect of disclosure on disease progression (WHO clinical stage 3 or 4), loss to follow-up (LTFU; > 12 months), and death. Of 1913 children and adolescents (48% female; median [IQR] age 11.5 [9.2-14.7] years at last clinic visit), 795 (42%) were disclosed to about their HIV status at a median age of 12.9 years (IQR: 11.8-14.1). During follow-up, 207 (11%) experienced disease progression, 75 (3.9%) were LTFU, and 59 (3.1%) died. There were lower hazards of disease progression (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.43 [0.28-0.66]) and death (aHR 0.36 [0.17-0.79]) for those disclosed to compared with those who were not. Disclosure and its appropriate implementation should be promoted in pediatric HIV clinics in resource-limited settings.

Keywords: Asia; HIV; adolescents; children; disclosure.

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Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

AHS receives grants to her institution from ViiV Healthcare. No other conflicts of interest were reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
HIV disclosure status at the last clinic visit in children and adolescents 6–19 years of age after cART initiation in the IeDEA Asia-Pacific cohort (n = 1913).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Probability of retention in HIV care by disclosure status in children and adolescents 6–19 years of age after cART initiation in the IeDEA Asia-Pacific cohort (n = 1913).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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