Postnatal retention in HIV care: Insight from the Swiss HIV Cohort Study over a 15-year observational period. HIV Medicine
Aebi-Popp et al. aimed to quantify loss to follow-up (LTFU) in HIV care of HIV-infected women after delivery and to identify risk factors for LTFU. The mother to child transmission rate dropped from 3.6% in 1996–2004 to 0.9% in 2005–2011. Twelve percent of women were lost to follow-up in HIV care after delivery. A history of intravenous drug use and a failure to suppress viral replication by delivery were associated with an increased risk of dropping out of HIV care. Fifty-five percent of women returned to care after LTFU, half of them with a CD4 count <350 cells/μL. Effective strategies are warranted to retain women in care beyond pregnancy.