TITLE:
Immuno-Virological Follow-Up in HIV Patients under Antiretroviral Treatment in Medical Biology Laboratory of Point G University Hospital, Bamako, Mali
AUTHORS:
Aminata Maiga, Mahamane Talphi Diakité, Bourama Samaké, Drissa Koné, Oumar Agaly Dicko, Bréhima Diakité, Yaya Kassogué, Yacouba Cissoko, Djibril Mamadou Coulibaly, Mohamed Ag Baraika, Fousseini Coulibaly, Mamoudou Maiga, Almoustapha Issiaka Maiga
KEYWORDS:
HIV, Treatment, Viral Load, CD4, Point G University Hospital
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of AIDS,
Vol.16 No.4,
October
29,
2026
ABSTRACT: Purpose: Our study consisted in monitoring the viral load and CD4 count of people living with HIV/AIDS under antiretroviral trait treatment (ART) who came for biological follow-up at the Point G Hospital biomedical laboratory, then to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of these patients, and finally to establish a correlation between the viral load and the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of these cases. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study with prospective recruitment from January to December 2024, conducted at the Point G Hospital biomedical laboratory. The study population included people living with HIV/AIDS who presented to the laboratory for a biological follow-up testing for ART. In particular, measurement of HIV viral load and CD4 count. Data were collected using individual patient data collection designed for the needs of the study. Results: The study involved 82 patients. The survey revealed that 69.5% of the patients were women. The average age of the participants was 40.55 years, and 81.7% of them lived in Bamako. Housewives represented 46.3% of the participant. HIV-1 was the most common type of virus (98.8%), and 60.9% of the patients were classified as stage 1 according to the WHO. The patients (96.3%) were on first-line treatment, primarily the TDF-3TC-DTG regimen (62.2%). Regarding viral load, 56.1% of patients had a viral load greater than 1000 copies/ml at inclusion, but at 6 months, 63.4% of patients had returned to a viral load below 40 copies/ml, and at 12 months, this number had risen to 86.6%. At inclusion, 24.4% of patients had a CD4 count below 500 cells/mm3. There was no significant link between the duration of ART and viral load at 6 months, but a significant link was observed at 12 months. Additionally, 81.7% of patients had good adherence to treatment, with medication errors and illnesses being the main causes of non-adherence (40% each). Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of our patients responded favourably to ART.