Statistical Modelling of Disease Progression among HIV-Infected Patients on Antiretroviral Therapy at Howard Opportunistic Infection Clinic

Abstract

Background: Sustaining high rates of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical to suppressing HIV viral replication, delaying disease progression, and improving survival. While prior research indicates that treatment adherence and mortality patterns vary across demographic factors such as marital status, the specific differential trajectories of immunologic indicators and clinical disease progression between married and non-married patients remain under-investigated in sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluated patterns of change in immunologic markers (CD4+ T-cell count) and clinical parameters (haemoglobin and weight) over time according to marital status among HIV-infected adults initiating ART.