RESEARCH ARTICLE High Treatment Retention Rate in HIV- Infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy at Two Large HIV Clinics in Hanoi,

Background Loss to follow-up (LTFU) is viewed as a major challenge in improving retention in HIV treat-ment. In Vietnam, the reasons for disengagement from clinics and the effect of injection drug use (IDU) on LTFU with unknown outcome (true LTFU) are not well known. Methods Patients receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) from two HIV clinics in Hanoi were included in this observational study between 2007 and 2012, and followed up every 6 months until the end of 2013. The reasons for disengagement from the clinic, and ART status during imprisonment were investigated in patients with a history of IDU to identify true LTFU. The retention rate at 6–54 months and true LTFU rate were calculated. Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to identify factors associated with true LTFU. Results There were 1,431 patients, with a follow-up time of 4,371 person-years (median 2.49 years). At the end of the follow-up period, 71 (5.0%) patients died, 79 (5.5%) transferre