title: Factors associated with HIV/AIDS treatment dropouts in a special care unit in the City of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to identify factors associated with the health care of patients with HIV/AIDS who drop out.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was developed in a specialized health care unit of a University hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, considering a stratified sample of adult patients including all dropout cases (155) and 44.0% of 790 cases under regular follow-up. Bivariate analyses were used to identify associations between health care dropout and demographic, socioeconomic and clinical variables. Logistic and Cox regression models were used to identify the independent effects of the explanatory variables on risk for dropout, in the latter by incorporating information on the outcome over time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were, on average, 35 years old, predominantly males (66.4%) and of a low socioeconomic level (45.0%). In both models, health care dropout was consistently associated with being unemployed or having an unstable job, using illicit drugs and having psychiatric background--positive association; and with age, having AIDS, and having used multiple antiretroviral regimens--negative association. In the logistic regression, dropping out was also positively associated with time between diagnosis and the first outpatient visit, while in the Cox model, the hazard for dropping out was positively associated with being single, and negatively associated with a higher educational level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this work allow for the identification of HIV/AIDS patients more likely to drop out from health care.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Escola São Francisco de Assis, UFRJ, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sérgio Arouca. louise.schil@gmail.com
authors.forename: Louise Bastos
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Schilkowsky
authors.forename: Margareth Crisóstomo
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Portela
authors.forename: Marilene de Castilho
authors.initials: Mde C
authors.lastname: Sá
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult