Retreatment after loss of follow-up in adolescent and young adult patients living with HIV: a case-control study

OBJECTIVE: to identify factors associated with retreatment after loss to follow-up among adolescents and young adults living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus. METHOD: paired case-control study (1:1 ratio) with data collection from medical records. The cases were adolescents and young adults diagnosed with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome who underwent retreatment after loss to follow-up. The controls were adolescents and young adults diagnosed with the disease who were lost to follow-up and had no history of retreatment. Logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: 76 cases and 76 controls were included. The variable associated with the highest chance of retreatment was not having a religion (ORaj: 3.46; 95% CI: 1.52-7.88; p=0.003). The factors that decreased the chances of retreatment were 21.91 years of age at the beginning of follow-up (ORaj: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62-0.98; p=0.039), female gender (ORaj: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.03-0.45; p=0.001), living in an institution (ORaj: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.12-0.43; p=0.004), alcohol use (ORaj: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.08-0.49; p<0.001), diagnosis of Human Immunodeficiency Virus at the Treatment and Counseling Center (ORaj: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.13-0.74; p=0.008), and missed appointment(s) before loss to follow-up (ORaj: 0.20; 95% CI: 0.07-0.52; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: the return to treatment of adolescents and young people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus is multifactorially determined by sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical profiles.