BACKGROUND: Studies indicate that responses to HIV-2 treatment regimens are worse than responses to HIV-1 regimens during the first 12 months of treatment, but longer-term treatment responses are poorly described. We utilized data from Cote d'Ivoire's RETRO-CI laboratory to examine long-term responses to HIV-2 treatment. METHODS: Adult (>/=15 years) patients with baseline CD4 counts < 500 cells/mul that initiated treatment at one of two HIV treatment centers in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire between 1998 and 2004 were included in this retrospective cohort study. Patients were stratified by baseline CD4 counts and survival analyses were employed to examine the relationship between HIV type and time to achieving CD4 >/= 500 cells/mul during follow up. RESULTS: Among 3487 patients, median follow-up time was 4 years and 57% had documented ART regimens for > 75% of their recorded visits. Kaplan-Meier estimates for achievement of CD4 >/= 500 cells/mul after 6 years of follow-up for patients in the lower CD4 strata (< 200 cells/mul) were 40% (HIV-1), 31% (HIV-dual), and 17% (HIV-2) (log-rank p < 0.001). Cox Regression indicated that HIV-1 was significantly associated with achievement of CD4 >/= 500 cells/mul during follow-up, compared to HIV-2. CONCLUSIONS: Sub-optimal responses to long-term HIV-2 treatment underscore the need for more research into improved and/or new treatment options for patients with HIV-2. In many West African countries, effective treatment of both HIV-1 and HIV-2 will be essential in the effort to reach epidemic control.

BACKGROUND: High demand for HIV-services and extensive clinical guidelines force health systems in low-resource settings to dedicate resources to service delivery at the expense of other priorities. Simplifying services may reduce the burden on health systems and pre-antiretroviral therapy (ART) laboratory screening is among the services under consideration for simplification. METHODS: We assessed the frequencies of conditions linked to ART toxicities among 34,994 adult, ART-naive patients with specimens referred to the RETRO-CI laboratory in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire between 1998 and 2017. Screening included tests for serum creatinine, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and haemoglobin (Hb) to identify renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 50 mL/min), hepatic abnormalities (ALT > 5x upper limit of normal) and severe anaemia (Hb < 6.5 g/dL), respectively. We considered screening results across four eras and identified factors associated with the conditions in question. RESULTS: The prevalence of renal dysfunction, hepatic abnormalities and severe anaemia were largely unchanged over time and just 8.4% of patients had any of the three conditions. Key factors associated with renal dysfunction and severe anaemia were age > 50 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.53; 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.19-2.92; P < 0.001) and CD4 < 100 cells/microl (aOR: 2.57; 95% CI: 2.30-2.88; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The relative infrequency of conditions linked to toxicity in Cote d'Ivoire supports the notion that simplification of pre-ART laboratory screening may be undertaken with limited negative impact on identification of adverse events. Targeted screening may be a feasible strategy to balance detection of conditions associated with ART toxicities with simplification of services.