title: Transition of HIV-infected youths from paediatric to adult care, a Swedish single-centre experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Transition of HIV-infected adolescents from paediatric care to adult care is vulnerable and entails a risk of treatment failure. Therefore, a Transitional Outpatient Clinic for HIV-infected adolescents and young adults was started in 2008. The aims were to describe the transition process and treatment results in a Swedish cohort of adolescents with HIV.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study of the adolescent and young adults with HIV at the clinic was performed in October 2013 and a 2-year follow-up at the end of 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 34 patients in care in October 2013 were a median of 19 years, 50% were female. Thirty-one out of 34 (91%) were perinatally infected. In 2013, 88% were on antiretroviral treatment (ART), for a median duration of 9 years, 74% were on a protease inhibitor-based regimen. Twenty-nine patients were followed-up at the end of 2015. Twenty-three were transferred to the Infectious Disease Clinic and the median age for transition was 19 years. At the end of 2015, 90% were treated with ART and 61% had an integrase inhibitor-based treatment. Of those treated with ART for more than 6 months, 90% (2013) and 96% (2015) had a viral load < 50 HIV RNA copies/mL, despite resistance problems and complicating social factors. These figures were higher than reported in other studies and similar to the treatment results in the adult HIV population in Sweden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study showed that it is possible to achieve good treatment results in adolescents with HIV.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Unit of Infectious Diseases and Dermatology , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden ;|b Department of Infectious Diseases , Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge , Stockholm , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Westling
authors.affiliation: c Department of Clinical Science , Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden ;|d Department of Pediatrics , Karolinska University Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Navér
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Unit of Infectious Diseases and Dermatology , Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden ;|b Department of Infectious Diseases , Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge , Stockholm , Sweden ;
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vesterbacka
authors.affiliation: d Department of Pediatrics , Karolinska University Hospital , Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Belfrage
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D013548:Sweden; D060305:Transition to Adult Care; D017211:Treatment Failure; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: HIV; adherence; adolescents; transition; transition outpatients clinic