Viral suppression among people living with HIV receiving ARV and Suboxone treatment in Hanoi

Abstract

This article aimed to describe the HIV suppression rate and associated factors among patients receiving ARV and Suboxone (buprenorphine/naloxone) treatment in Ha Noi. A longitudinal study design was applied on 136 participants at 4 HIV outpatient clinics in Hanoi between 2016 and 2019. HIV viral load testing was performed at the Laboratory of National Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Mixed-effect model was used to identify factors related to HIV viral load suppression. The results shown that 96.3% of participants were male with mean age 38.8 ± 5.8 years, 43% were employed, 53.7% used heroin over 10 years and mean CD4 count was 411 ± 216 TB/mm3. The viral load suppression rates at 6 and 12 months of followup were 81.8%. Findings from the mixedeffect model analysis shown that patients with CD4 levels ≥ 500 cells/mm3 were more likely to achieve HIV viral load suppression < 200 copies/mL than patients with CD4 levels < 500 cells /mm3 (OR = 0.24; 95% CI: 0.09 – 0.64). There was an improvement in viral load suppression (< 200 copies/mL) at 12-month follow-up. It is necessary to strengthen psychobehavioral interventions to enhance adherence to achieve optimal treatment effectiveness.