Prevalence and Factors Associated with Switching to Second Line Treatment among HIV-Positive Adolescents Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy in Gulu City.

Abstract

Background: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a major public health problem, with approximately 37.7 million people across the globe infected with HIV by 2020, (adult 36 million, children aged 0-14 years 1.7 million). The world health organization calls upon all HIV-positive individuals with virologic failure to switch from the current-line to the next-line antiretroviral therapy (Keiser et al.,2010, Ramadhani et al., 2016). To determine the prevalence and factors associated with switching to second-line ART among HIV-positive adolescents receiving ART in Gulu city. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using secondary data and participants included adolescents initiated on ART in Gulu city between 2017-2021. A total of 280 files of adolescents were included in the study from three Health facilities in Gulu city. Data was analyzed using Stata version 15. A chi-sequence test and multivariate analysis were used to determine the factors associated with switching. Results: The prevalence of switching was 10.3%, most participants were female 165 (58.9%) and those between 10-14 years dominated the study 178 (63.5%). Viral Load >1000 copies while on the first-line ART, was significantly associated with switching to second line ART (p=0.046). Conclusion: There was a prevalence of switching from first-line ART to second-line ART among adolescents in Gulu city and the associated factor was high first viral load. Keywords: Prevalence, Factors Associated, Switching to Second Line Treatment, HIV-Positive Adolescents, and Antiretroviral Therapy.