title: Mortality and causes of death in adults receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy in Senegal: a 7-year cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate survival and investigate causes of death among HIV-1 infected adults receiving HAART in Senegal.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational prospective cohort.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mortality was assessed in the first patients enrolled between August 1998 and April 2002 in the Senegalese antiretroviral drug access initiative. First-line regimen combined two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors and either a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or a protease inhibitor. The most likely causes of death were ascertained through medical records or post-mortem interviews (verbal autopsy).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred and four patients (54.7% women) were enrolled in the study and were followed for a median of 46 months (interquartile range: 32-57 months) after HAART initiation. At baseline, 5% were antiretroviral therapy (ART) non-naive, 39 and 55% were respectively at CDC stage B and C, median age, CD4 cell count and viral load were 37 years, 128 cells/microl and 5.2 log cp/ml, respectively. Ninety-three patients died during follow-up and the overall incidence rate of death was 6.3/100 person-years [95% confidence interval (CI), 5.2-7.7]. During the first year after HAART initiation, 47 patients died and seven were lost to follow-up, yielding to a probability of dying of 11.7% (95% CI, 8.9-15.3%). The death rate, which was highest during the first year after HAART initiation, decreased with time yielding a cumulative probability of dying of 17.4% (95% CI, 13.9-21.5%) and 24.6% (95% CI, 20.4-29.4%) at 2 and 5 years. Causes of death were ascertained in 76 deaths. Mycobacterial infections, neurotropic infections and septicaemia were the most frequent likely causes of death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study underlines the early mortality pattern after HAART initiation and highlights the leading role of mycobacterial infections in the causes of death.
authors.affiliation: UMR 145 HIV/AIDS and Associated Diseases, Research Institute for Development (IRD)/University of Montpellier, 911 avenue Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier Cedex 1, France. etard@mpl.ird.fr
authors.forename: Jean-François
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Etard
authors.forename: Ibrahima
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ndiaye
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thierry-Mieg
authors.forename: Ndèye Fatou Ngom
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Guèye
authors.forename: Pape Mandoumbé
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Guèye
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lanièce
authors.forename: Allé Baba
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Dieng
authors.forename: Assane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Diouf
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Laurent
authors.forename: Souleymane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mboup
authors.forename: Papa Salif
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sow
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Delaporte
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000401:mortality; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015992:Body Mass Index; D018791:CD4 Lymphocyte Count; D002423:Cause of Death; D003906:Developing Countries; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D015497:HIV-1; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000401:mortality; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D006454:Hemoglobins