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The magnitude of loss to follow-up of HIV-exposed infants along the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission continuum of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sibanda, EL; Weller, IVD; Hakim, JG; Cowan, FM; (2013) The magnitude of loss to follow-up of HIV-exposed infants along the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission continuum of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis. AIDS , 27 (17) 2787 - 2797. 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000027. Green open access

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Abstract

Introduction: Although prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programs are widely implemented, many children do not benefit from them because of loss to follow-up (LTFU). We conducted a systematic review to determine the magnitude of infant/baby LTFU along the PMTCT cascade. Methods: Eligible publications reported infant LTFU outcomes from standard care PMTCT programs (not intervention studies) at any stage of the cascade. Literature searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL Plus, and Maternity and Infant Care. Extracted data included setting, methods of follow-up, PMTCT regimens, and proportion and timing of LTFU. For programs in sub-Saharan Africa, random-effects meta-analysis was done using Stata v10. Because of heterogeneity, predictive intervals (PrIs; approximate 95% confidence intervals of a future study based on extent of observed heterogeneity) were computed. Results: A total of 826 papers were identified; 25 publications were eligible. Studies were published from 2001 to 2012 and were mostly from sub-Saharan Africa (three were from India, one from UK and one from Ireland). There was extensive heterogeneity in findings. Eight studies reported on LTFU of pregnant HIV-positive women between antenatal care (ANC) registration and delivery, which ranged from 10.9 to 68.1%, pooled proportion 49.08% [95% confidence interval (CI) 39.6–60.9%], and PrI 22.0–100%. Fourteen studies reported LTFU of infants within 3 months of delivery, range 4.8–75%, pooled proportion 33.9% (27.6–41.5), and PrI 15.4–74.2. Children were also lost after HIV testing; this was reported in five studies, pooled estimate 45.5% (35.9–57.6), PrI 18.7–100%. Programs that actively tracked defaulters had better retention outcomes. Conclusion: There is unacceptable infant LTFU from PMTCT programs. Countries should incorporate defaulter-tracking as standard to improve retention.

Type: Article
Title: The magnitude of loss to follow-up of HIV-exposed infants along the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission continuum of care: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1097/QAD.0000000000000027
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/QAD.0000000000000027
Additional information: © 2013 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords: HIV-exposed infants, loss to follow-up, meta-analysis, prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs, retention, review, systematic
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute for Global Health > Infection and Population Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1423854
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