Open AccessDepression and Viral Suppression Among Adults Living with HIV in Tanzania
Author(s) -
Mathilda Regan,
Alfa Muhihi,
Tumaini Nagu,
Said Aboud,
Nzovu Ulenga,
Sylvia Kaaya,
Mary C. Smith Fawzi,
Aisha K. Yousafzai,
Ferdinand Mugusi,
Wafaie W. Fawzi,
Shekhar Saxena,
Karestan C. Koenen,
Christopher R. Sudfeld
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
aids and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.994
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1573-3254
pISSN - 1090-7165
DOI - 10.1007/s10461-021-03187-y
Subject(s) - depression (economics) , tanzania , viral load , medicine , psychological intervention , antiretroviral therapy , prospective cohort study , cohort study , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , public health , cohort , health psychology , pediatrics , psychiatry , demography , immunology , environmental science , nursing , environmental planning , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Limited information is available on the association between depression and viral suppression among people living with HIV (PLH) in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3996 adults initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Log-binomial models were used to assess the association between depression and the risk of an unsuppressed viral load (> 400 copies/mL) after 6 months of ART. Women who had depression at both initiation and after 6 months of treatment had 1.94 times (95% CI 1.22, 3.09; z = 2.78, p < 0.01) the risk of an unsuppressed viral load after 6 months of treatment as compared to women who did not have depression at either time point. Men with the top tertile of depressive symptoms after 6 months of treatment had 1.58 times the risk of an unsuppressed viral load (95% CI 1.04, 2.38; z = 2.15, p = 0.03) as compared to the lowest tertile. Research should be pursued on interventions to prevent and address depression among adults initiating ART to potentially support achievement of viral suppression.