Virological Outcome and Associated Factors of Dolutegravir based regimen Among Adult HIV Patients Attending at Debre-Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The toxicity of the therapeutic regimen, treatment failure, and resistance to existing HIV medications becomes a challenge in resource-limited settings. To tackle this dolutegravir-based regimen has been started. However; there is a paucity of evidence in subSaharan

countries on its virologic outcome, treatment satisfaction and associated factors of dolutegravir based regimen. Objectives: To assess the virological outcome, treatment satisfaction and associated factors of dolutegravir based regimen among adult human immunodeficiency virus patients attending at Debre Markos referral 2020. Methods: A pre-post study was carried out starting from May 2018 – August 2020 on HIV patients who took dolutegravir based regimen for a year. A one-year retrospective data before (with-in 12 months before DTG) and after initiation of dolutegravir based regimen was collected. A systematic random sampling technique was used to collect data from June 25 to August 25 2020 at Debre Markos referral hospital. It was entered into EPI Info and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors. Variables with p<0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Result: From a total of 359, 349 participants (97.2%) responded to the study. The proportion of virological suppression was found to be 92 %. Good adherence (AOR=6.2, 95% CI: 1.93, 20.11) and duration on ART (AOR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.04) were associated with virological suppression. The level of treatment satisfaction was found to be 70.5%. Conclusion: Dolutegravir based regimen maintains high virologic suppression and treatment satisfaction. Adherence and duration on ART were associated with virologic outcomes. Therefore, designing effective mechanisms to establish good adherence and viral suppression is important. Keywords: dolutegravir, treatment satisfaction, virologic outcome, HIV, Debre-Markos