Abstract

EFFECTIVENESS OF ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY IN CHILDREN LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS IN PLATEAU STATE SPECIALIST HOSPITAL, JOS, NIGERIA.

Comfort Nanbam Sariem*, David Mohammed Umar, Oluwaseyi Emmanuela Ogunlade, Benjamin Nasara Joseph, Michael Adebayo Adeniyi and Pandell Abigail Damun

ABSTRACT

HIV in children is majorly due to vertical transmission that occurs during pregnancy, labour, delivery, or breastfeeding. About 3 million children were living with HIV in 2013, 650 get infected everyday, The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of antiretroviral drugs in Plateau State specialist Hospital (PSSH) Jos, by measuring treatment outcome in children (0 – 15years) finding out if any association exist between demographic data and treatment outcomes and determining the prescription pattern of ARV drugs in children living with HIV/AIDS enrolled for at least one year at PSSH. A cross-sectional retrospective study design was adopted for the study and data collected was entered into statistical packages for the social science (SPSS) software version 20.0 for analysis. Descriptive statistics percentage Mean and standard error of mean (SEM) were generated from the study participant, demography, prescription pattern and outcomes of ARV therapy. Test of significant was set at p<0.05. the study showed that the HAART often prescribed at PSSH were Lamivudine and zidovudine with either nevirapine or efavirenz combination and that there was remarkable difference in the CD4 count between children less than five years old and children that are six (6) or greater than six (6) years old. There was no association between the type of HAART used and the treatment outcome. In conclusion, there is need to develop fixed-dose ARV drugs specifically adapted for children in order to improve treatment outcomes.

Keywords: HIV, Children, Antiretroviral, Effectiveness.