Objectives

Though antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced HIV infection into a manageable chronic disease, it does not provide for a cure. HIV cure trials may carry risks for patients who are generally doing well on ART, making it imperative that their input is sought as various types of cure methods and trials are designed. Few studies have sought the views of African patients on HIV cure studies. The objective of this study was to determine the views and preferences of people living with HIV (PLWH) in Ghana on cure research.

Methods

We used a questionnaire to interview 251 PLWH in Ghana about their willingness to engage in HIV cure research. We investigated their motivations, the types of cure they would prefer and which risks were acceptable to them.

Results

Most participants were enthusiastic about participating in cure research and driven by both altruistic and personal motives. Patients preferred a cure where they would continue follow-up with their doctor (88%) compared to being assured that they have been completely cured and did not need further follow-up (11%). The vast majority of the respondents were risk averse. Most patients (67%) would decline to interrupt ART as part of a protocol for HIV cure research. In bivariate analysis, participants above the age of 40 years were more likely to agree to treatment interruption during cure studies (OR 2.77; 95% CI 1.21-.6.34. p ​= ​0.0159).

Conclusions

Our results show that preferred cure modalities and risk tolerance for patients in Africa may be different from those of other parts of the world. Extensive social science and behavioural studies are needed on the continent to help inform future cure trials.

中文翻译：

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加纳患者不愿中断抗逆转录病毒治疗以进行 HIV 治愈研究

目标

尽管抗逆转录病毒疗法 (ART) 已将 HIV 感染降低为可控制的慢性疾病，但它并不能治愈。HIV 治愈试验可能会给通常在 ART 上表现良好的患者带来风险，因此在设计各种治愈方法和试验时，必须征求他们的意见。很少有研究征求非洲患者对 HIV 治愈研究的看法。本研究的目的是确定加纳艾滋病病毒感染者 (PLWH) 对治愈研究的看法和偏好。

方法

我们使用问卷调查了加纳的 251 名 PLWH，了解他们是否愿意参与 HIV 治愈研究。我们调查了他们的动机、他们喜欢的治疗类型以及他们可以接受的风险。

结果

大多数参与者都热衷于参与治疗研究，并受到利他和个人动机的驱使。与确信他们已完全治愈且不需要进一步随访 (11%) 相比，患者更愿意继续接受医生随访的治愈方法 (88%)。绝大多数受访者都厌恶风险。作为 HIV 治愈研究方案的一部分，大多数患者 (67%) 会拒绝中断 ART。在双变量分析中，40 岁以上的参与者更有可能同意在治愈研究期间中断治疗（OR 2.77；95% CI 1.21-.6.34。p =  0.0159）。

结论

我们的研究结果表明，非洲患者的首选治疗方式和风险承受能力可能与世界其他地区不同。非洲大陆需要进行广泛的社会科学和行为研究，以帮助为未来的治愈试验提供信息。