Abstract:

Background: The virological discordance is the presence of high viral road to a patient who is on ART for more than six months where by the poor immunological recovery is the presence of CD less than 100cell/mil which can be caused by many factors where among many poor adherences to ART or maladherence especially to children who have no one to take care to them. Both virological discordance and poor immune recovery are found in one broad term that is treatment failure.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the virological discordance among HIV infected children with poor immune recovery attending at Sengerema hospital.

Methodology: This was Hospital based retrospective cross-sectional study which was conducted at Sengerema DDH where a total of 132 children who attended at Sengerema District Hospital Care and Treatment Clinic were involved in the study. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were extracted from patients’ medical records.

Results: The study recruited 132 children among which 65 (50.8) were females. The mean age was 10 (8-12.5) years. The prevalence of immune-virological discordance was 6.8%. Poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (OR 37; 95% CI: 6.67-205.10; p=0.000) and patients categorized as unstable (OR 8.11; 95% CI: 1.76-37.36: p-0.007) were the factors associated with immune-virological discordance in this study.

Conclusion: Immuno-virological discordance is high among HIV positive children below 15 years receiving care at Sengerema District Hospital. Urgent intervention is needed to address the situation so as to improve the survival and quality of life in this special group of the community.