Association Between ART Initiation Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Older People Living With HIV: A Longitudinal Study from Baise, China

Association Between ART Initiation Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Older People Living With HIV: A Longitudinal Study from Baise, China | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Association Between ART Initiation Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Older People Living With HIV: A Longitudinal Study from Baise, China Jianying Liao, Jian Chen, Sher Zaman Safi This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7771319/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: The number of new HIV diagnoses among older people living with HIV (PLWH) is increasing in China. This population often faces delayed diagnosis, advanced disease, and polypharmacy, posing challenges for antiretroviral therapy (ART) management. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of ART initiation timing—based on baseline CD4+ T-cell count—on viral suppression, immune recovery, survival, and severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs) among older PLWH aged ≥50 years in Baise, Guangxi, under the “Test and Treat” strategy. We further aimed to identify factors associated with treatment outcomes to inform individualized management. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 1,802 older people living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥50 years who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between January 2017 and June 2022 in Baise, Guangxi. Participants were categorized by baseline CD4+ T-cell count into delayed initiation (500 cells/μL). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess viral suppression and CD4+ T-cell recovery over time. The Weibull accelerated failure time (AFT) model was applied to estimate time to all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs). Adjusted models accounted for age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, education level, and ART regimen. Results: Only 9.2% of older people living with HIV (PLWH) initiated ART early (>500 cells/μL), while 74.7% started in late HIV infection (≤350 cells/μL). There was no significant difference in viral suppression by treatment group. The early treatment group achieved significantly better CD4+ T-cell recovery compared to the other two groups (P < 0.001). The delayed treatment group had significantly shorter survival than the early treatment group (time ratio [TR] = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.14–0.78), but no significant survival difference was observed between the early and conventional treatment groups. Overall, 25.0% of participants experienced severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs); SADR incidence did not differ by treatment group. However, the 3TC+AZT+EFV regimen was associated with a higher risk of SADR than 3TC+TDF+EFV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.50, 95% CI: 2.57–4.76). Women had better viral suppression and CD4+ T-cell recovery. Marital status, ethnicity, and ART regimen were also associated with survival outcomes. Conclusion： The implementation of China’s “Test and Treat” strategy has not met expectations. ART initiation timing did not affect viral suppression or SADR risk; however, delayed initiation impaired immune recovery and increased mortality risk. Clinically, ART should be initiated as early as possible for older PLWH, and individualized strategies should be developed based on their characteristics to optimize treatment outcomes. HIV Older adults Antiretroviral therapy (ART) Treatment initiation timing Treatment outcomes Background: The burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among the global elderly population has emerged as an increasingly prominent public health concern [ 1 , 2 ] . Data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD Study) indicated that the burden of HIV/AIDS in the elderly population aged 60 years and above had been on a consistent rise between 1990 and 2021 [ 3 ] . In the field of AIDS research, the elderly population is generally defined with a cutoff of 50 years and above, so as to distinguish it from the sexually active population in the conventional 15–49 years age group [ 4 ] . In China, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among the elderly population has exhibited a marked upward trend. Statistics revealed that among the newly reported HIV-infected individuals in China in 2022, those aged 50 years and above accounted for 48.1%, meaning nearly half of the new HIV infections occurred in the elderly population [ 5 ] . A survey showed that the HIV incidence rate among rural elderly residents aged 50–69 years in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (where Baise City is situated) was 7.47 (95% CI: 5.97–8.98) per 100,000 person-years, which was higher than the HIV incidence rate of local general rural adult residents (2.73, 95% CI: 2.38–3.08 per 100,000 person-years) [ 6 ] . The status of HIV infection among the elderly population is a matter of great concern. This aging-related trend is further complicated by unique challenges: elderly patients often experience delayed diagnosis and typically present with advanced-stage infection, which can be attributed to their low self-perceived risk of HIV, low suspicion of HIV among healthcare providers, and disease-related stigma [ 7 ] . Data show that over 60% of patients aged ≥ 50 years in China have an initial CD4 + T-cell count of < 200 cells/µL at diagnosis [ 8 ] . Additionally, age-related organ dysfunction and polypharmacy for chronic comorbidities increase the risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) [ 9 , 10 ] , thereby complicating the management of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Since 2016, China has implemented the “Test and Treat” strategy, recommending immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) upon HIV diagnosis, irrespective of CD4 + T-cell count or clinical stage. This strategy is supported by evidence that early ART maximizes viral suppression, preserves immune function, and reduces mortality in the general HIV-positive population [ 11 , 12 ] . However, the efficacy and safety of early ART initiation in elderly patients—particularly those with relatively high CD4 + T-cell counts at diagnosis—remain insufficiently established. Data on long-term outcomes according to timing of ART initiation in this subgroup are still limited. It remains unclear whether older adults initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) early in the course of HIV infection achieve superior virological control, immune reconstitution, and survival. Moreover, the safety of early ART in this population—particularly the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs)—warrants long-term evaluation, given that older individuals are more susceptible to treatment-related complications. This prospective cohort study aims to compare treatment outcomes—including virological response, immune recovery, time-to-event outcomes, and SADRs incidence—among urban-dwelling older adults with HIV (aged ≥ 50 years) in China, stratified by the timing of ART initiation. The findings will provide real-world evidence regarding whether early ART confers additional clinical benefits in this population. Results may inform the optimization of HIV prevention and control strategies, enhance ART outcomes, and alleviate the disease burden in this vulnerable group. 1 Participants and Methods 1.1 Data Collection This study adopted a longitudinal follow-up observational design. Data were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention—Comprehensive Response Information System for HIV/AIDS. Upon diagnosis, people living with HIV (PLWH) are enrolled in this system for monitoring and undergo scheduled clinical follow-up visits. Information was collected from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2023. 1.2 Study Participants PLWH were included in the study if they met the following criteria: (1) initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between January 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022; (2) age ≥ 50 years at ART initiation; (3) availability of a CD4 + T-cell count measured within 60 days prior to ART initiation; and (4) a registered residential address in Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Pregnant women were excluded. A total of 1,802 eligible individuals were included in the final analysis. In this study, the timing of ART initiation was operationally defined by the baseline CD4 + T-cell count measured within 60 days prior to treatment start. Based on this indicator, participants were classified into three groups: Group 1 (delayed treatment group) for those with CD4 + counts 500 cells/µL. These thresholds align with historical international guidelines for ART initiation and reflect varying stages of immunological status at treatment onset. 1.3 Definitions and Terms (1) Viral suppression: the confirmation of HIV RNA levels being below the lowest detectable limit of the test. (2) Low-level viremia(LLV): the presence of detectable plasma HIV RNA levels between 50 and 400 copies/mL.. (3) Virological failure: plasma HIV RNA levels exceeding 400 copies/mL after 24 weeks of antiretroviral therapy (ART), confirmed by a subsequent test. (4) Survival time (for survival analysis): the survival time of participants who survived was defined as the interval from the date of ART initiation to the end of the study observation period (June 30, 2023); for participants who died, it was the interval from the date of ART initiation to the date of death; and for participants who were lost to follow-up, it was the interval from the date of ART initiation to the recorded date of lost to follow-up. (5) Serious Adverse Drug Reactions (SADRs): defined as meeting any one of the following four criteria:①Hepatotoxicity: Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST) > 200 U/L or Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) > 200 U/L; ②Nephrotoxicity: Serum Creatinine (SCR) > 186 µmol/L; ③ Myelosuppression: Hemoglobin (HB) < 70 g/L; ④ Drug substitution or discontinuation due to adverse drug reactions. 1.4 Statistical Methods Descriptive statistics were used to summarize baseline characteristics and the distributions of key treatment outcomes—including virological suppression, CD4 + T-cell count, all-cause mortality, and SADRs—across the three pre-defined groups. The association between treatment initiation timing and each outcome was evaluated using appropriate regression models.Categorical variables are presented as frequencies and proportions (percentages), while continuous variables are expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR, 25th–75th percentiles), including CD4 + T-cell counts. Virological outcomes were assessed at the following time intervals after ART initiation: 6–12, 12–24, 25–36, 37–48, 49–60 months, and > 60 months. A multinomial logistic generalized estimating equations (GEE) model with an exchangeable correlation structure was used to evaluate the association between treatment initiation timing and virological response over time, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen,the CD4 + T-cell counts prior to each VL measurement. CD4 + T-cell counts were assessed at the same time points post-ART initiation: 6–12, 12–24, 25–36, 37–48, 49–60 months, and > 60 months. To account for the right-skewed distribution of CD4 counts, longitudinal changes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with a Gamma distribution and log link function, and an exchangeable correlation structure. The model evaluated the association between treatment initiation timing and CD4 + T-cell recovery over time, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen, and the viral load prior to each CD4 measurement. All-cause mortality was assessed by treatment initiation group. Cox proportional hazards models were initially used, but the proportional hazards assumption was violated based on Schoenfeld residuals (global test, p = 0.018). Therefore, Weibull accelerated failure time (AFT) models were employed to evaluate the association between treatment initiation timing and time to death. The model was adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen, and history of tuberculosis. Results are presented as time ratios (TR) with 95% confidence intervals. SADRs were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to assess the association with treatment initiation timing. The model was adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen. Results are reported as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals. Two-sided tests were used, and a p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were performed using Stata 17.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA). 2 Result 2.1 Baseline Characteristics by Treatment Initiation Group Table 1 presents the baseline characteristics of 1,802 elderly participants across three different initiation timing groups. The majority were male (59.3%) and married (65.3%), with Han ethnicity being predominant (83.3%). Most participants had low educational attainment: 65.5% were illiterate or had only primary school education. Regarding occupation, farmers constituted the largest proportion (88%).The majority of elderly participants were classified as having initiated ART at a delayed stage (1,347 [74.7%]), compared to only 166 (9.2%) who started at an early stage. There were differences in gender distribution across treatment groups, with a lower proportion of males in Group 3 compared to Group 1. The distribution of baseline ART regimens also differed significantly. No significant differences were observed in other characteristics among the three groups. Table 1 Baseline Characteristics of Older Adults by Treatment Initiation Group Variables Total (n = 1802) Group 1 (n = 1347) Group 2 (n = 289) Group 3 (n = 166) χ² P Gender, n(%) 9.176 0.01 Male 1069 (59.3) 825 (61.2) a 160 (55.4) a,b 84 (50.6) b Female 733 (40.7) 522 (38.8) 129 (44.6) 82 (49.4) Marital Status, n(%) 3.789 0.15 Single 626 (34.7) 485 (36.0) 89 (30.8) 52 (31.3) Married 1176 (65.3) 862 (64.0) 200 (69.2) 114 (68.7) Ethnicity, n(%) 3.113 0.539 Zhuang 254 (14.1) 191 (14.2) 43 (14.9) 20 (12.0) Han 1501 (83.3) 1125 (83.5) 237 (82.0) 139 (83.7) Others 47 (2.6) 31 (2.3) 9 (3.1) 7 (4.2) Education Level, n(%) 4.319 0.365 Illiterate/Primary 1180 (65.5) 879 (65.3) 191 (66.1) 110 (66.3) Secondary School 472 (26.2) 357 (26.5) 68 (23.5) 47 (28.3) High school or above 150 (8.3) 111 (8.2) 30 (10.4) 9 (5.4) Occupation, n(%) 2.395 0.302 Farmer 1586 (88.0) 1190 (88.3) 247 (85.5) 149 (89.8) Others 216 (12.0) 157 (11.7) 42 (14.5) 17 (10.2) Baseline Regimen, n(%) 50.785 < .001 3TC + TDF + EFV 1166 (64.7) 857 (63.6) a 194 (67.1) a 115 (69.3) a 3TC + AZT + EFV 223 (12.4) 139 (10.3) a 52 (18.0) b 32 (19.3) b LPV/r-containing drugs 231 (12.8) 184 (13.7) a 32 (11.1) a 15 (9.0) a Others 182 (10.1) 167 (12.4) a 11 (3.8) b 4 (2.4) b Note: χ²: Chi-square test.In the table, groups labeled with the same superscript letter (a, b) indicate no significant difference, while groups with different letters denote statistically significant differences. 2.2 Virological Suppression Based on the available testing data, within 6–12 months after ART initiation, the viral suppression rates of the delayed treatment group and standard treatment group both reached over 80%, while that of the early treatment group reached over 90%. During the subsequent follow-up period, the viral suppression rate of the early treatment group remained basically above 90%. After 25 months of ART initiation, the viral suppression rates of the delayed treatment group and standard treatment group also basically reached over 90%. Detailed data are shown in Table 2 . Table 2 Virological Response Over Time Across Treatment Initiation Groups Time Group Viral suppression[n(%)] Low-level viral viremia[n(%)] Virological failure[n(%)] Total 6–12m 1 671(84.8) 71(9.0) 49(6.2) 791 2 146(89.6) 11(6.7) 6(3.7) 163 3 96(92.3) 3(2.9) 5(4.8) 104 13–24m 1 725(86.2) 46(5.5) 70(8.3) 841 2 166(91.2) 7(3.8) 9(4.9) 182 3 91(88.3) 5(4.9) 7(6.8) 103 25–36m 1 533(92.1) 23(4.0) 23(4.0) 579 2 115(92.7) 6(4.8) 3(2.4) 124 3 62(93.9) 2(3.0) 2(3.0) 66 37–48m 1 321(93.3) 11(3.2) 12(3.5) 344 2 69(92.0) 3(4.0) 3(4.0) 75 3 36(94.7) 0(0.0) 2(5.3) 38 49–48m 1 166(93.3) 8(4.5) 4(2.2) 178 2 22(88.0) 1(4.0) 2(8.0) 25 3 17(100.0) 0(0.0) 0(0.0) 17 > 60m 1 69(95.8) 2(2.8) 1(1.4) 72 2 11(91.7) 0(0.0) 1(8.3) 12 3 6(100.0) 0(0.0) 0(0.0) 6 Generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis showed no statistically significant difference in virological outcomes among older adults with HIV in Baise City across different treatment initiation groups. Compared to the early treatment group (group 3), neither the delayed treatment group (group 1) (aOR = 1.69, 95% CI: 0.97–2.95) nor the conventional treatment group (group 2) (aOR = 1.25, 95% CI: 0.68–2.32) demonstrated a significant association with progressive virological failure. In the multivariable model, female sex was associated with significantly lower odds of suboptimal virological response (aOR = 0.621, 95% CI: 0.468–0.823), indicating better viral suppression. In contrast, participants with non-farming occupations had higher odds of unsuppressed status compared to farmers (aOR = 1.668, 95% CI: 1.046–2.660). Similarly, those receiving the 3TC + AZT + EFV regimen had higher odds of not achieving or maintaining viral suppression than those on 3TC + TDF + EFV (aOR = 1.611, 95% CI: 1.095–2.370).Virological suppression rates increased gradually(aOR = 0.746, 95% CI: 0.660–0.843 ), and virological control continued to improve with longer treatment duration. Table 3 Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) Analysis of Factors Influencing Post-Treatment Virological Response Variables B SE Wald χ² P aOR(95%CI) Gender Male 1 Female −0.477 0.1438 10.998 0.001 0.62(0.47–0.82) Marital Status Single 1 Married 0.030 0.1402 0.045 0.832 1.03(0.78–1.36) Ethnicity Zhuang 1 Han −0.283 0.2045 1.916 0.166 0.75(0.51–1.13) Others 0.059 0.5005 0.014 0.906 1.06(0.40–2.83) Education Level Illiterate/Primary 1 Secondary School −0.201 0.1554 1.668 0.197 0.82(0.60–1.11) High school or above −0.429 0.241 3.175 0.075 0.65(0.41–1.04) Occupation Farmer 1 Others 0.512 0.2381 4.619 0.032 1.67(1.05–2.66) Baseline Regimen 3TC + TDF + EFV 1 3TC + AZT + EFV 0.278 0.2005 1.922 0.166 1.32(0.89–1.96) LPV/r-containing drugs 0.477 0.197 5.858 0.016 1.61(1.10–2.37) Others 0.364 0.2067 3.098 0.078 1.44(0.96–2.16) Group 1 0.524 0.2847 3.388 0.066 1.69(0.97–2.95) 2 0.223 0.3144 0.505 0.477 1.25(0.68–2.32) 3 1 CD4 level before VL testing 500 cells/µL 0.430 0.2401 3.206 0.073 1.54(0.96–2.46) Missing Results 0.200 0.1772 1.275 0.259 1.22(0.86–1.73) Time −0.293 0.0623 22.151 < 0.001 0.75(0.66–0.84) 2.3 CD4 + T-cell Recovery In all time periods after treatment, the CD4 + T-cell count in the delayed treatment group was consistently lower than that in the conventional treatment group and the early treatment group, with no statistically significant difference between the latter two groups.The median CD4 + T-cell count of the delayed treatment group never exceeded 500cells/µL and remained above 300cells/µL consistently. All the above details are specifically shown in Table 4. Table 5 CD4 + T-cell count across three treatment groups over time Time Group 1 Group2 Group3 H P 6–12m 292(188,403) a 502(409,668) b 632(497,820) b 270.11 < 0.001 13–24m 311(205,443) a 564(443,738) b 660(514,884) b 302.77 < 0.001 25-36m 338(216,466) a 543(425,466) b 675(517,880) b 169.70 < 0.001 37–48m 370(254,508) a 570(452,724) b 657(564,953) b 89.25 < 0.001 49–60m 378(264,537) a 611(454,847) b 601(505,892) b 28.29 60m 380(292,530) a 684(394,949) b 788(571,870) b 12.03 0.002 Note :The values of CD4 + T-cell count are median (interquartile range, cells/µL). H is the test statistic for the Kruskal - Wallis test. Groups labeled with the same superscript letter (a, b) indicate no significant difference, while groups with different letters denote statistically significant differences. As shown in Table 5 , generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis revealed significant factors associated with CD4⁺ T-cell count during follow-up. CD4⁺ T-cell count increased significantly over time (B = 0.071, P < 0.001). Compared with the early treatment group (group 3), the delayed treatment group (group 1, B = − 0.661, P < 0.001) and the conventional treatment group (group 2, B = − 0.499, P < 0.001) had lower CD4⁺ T-cell counts. Female was associated with higher CD4⁺ T-cell counts (B = 0.119, P < 0.001). Relative to viral suppression, virological failure was associated with lower CD4⁺ T-cell counts (B = − 0.222, P = 0.003). No significant associations were observed for marital status, ethnicity, education level, occupation, or most baseline antiretroviral regimens (all P > 0.05), except for the “other” regimen category, which was associated with higher CD4⁺ T-cell counts compared to 3TC + TDF + EFV (B = 0.100, P = 0.034). Table 5 Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) Analysis of Factors Influencing Post-Treatment CD4 + T-cell count Vaiables B SE B 95% CI Wald χ² P Time 0.071 0.008 0.055–0.087 77.543 < 0.001 Gender Male 0 Female 0.119 0.027 0.067–0.171 19.931 < 0.001 Marital Status Single 0 Married 0.029 0.027 −0.024–0.082 1.178 0.278 Ethnicity Zhuang 0 Han −0.011 0.041 −0.091–0.069 0.07 0.791 Others 0.083 0.093 −0.098–0.265 0.809 0.369 Education Level Illiterate/Primary 0 Secondary School 0.019 0.03 −0.040–0.078 0.403 0.526 High school or above −0.01 0.051 −0.109–0.090 0.036 0.849 Occupation Farmer 0 Others −0.048 0.039 −0.124–0.027 1.565 0.211 Baseline Regimen 3TC + TDF + EFV 0 3TC + AZT + EFV 0.054 0.035 −0.016–0.123 2.283 0.131 LPV/r–containing drugs −0.002 0.041 −0.081–0.077 0.002 0.962 Others 0.1 0.047 0.008–0.193 4.513 0.034 Group 1 −0.661 0.036 −0.732 –−0.59. 336.06 < 0.001 2 −0.162 0.0378 −0.236 –−0.088 18.412 < 0.001 3 0 VL before CD4 testing Viral Suppression 0 Low–level Viremia 0.052 0.073 −0.091–0.195 0.512 0.474 Virological Failure −0.222 0.075 −0.369 – −0.075 8.806 0.003 Missing Results 0.08 0.023 0.035–0.125 11.933 0.001 2.4 All-Cause Mortality As shown in Table 6 , the all-cause mortality rate of treatment-naive PLWH aged over 50 years in Baise City during the period from 2017 to June 2023 was 5.54 per 100 person-years. Specifically, the mortality rate in the delayed treatment group reached 6.38 per 100 person-years, while that in the conventional treatment group and early treatment group was 3.36 and 2.34 per 100 person-years, respectively.The Log-rank test indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival time among the three groups ( χ²=17.03, P < 0.001) . Table 6 All-cause Mortality by Treatment Group, Jan 2017 – Jun 2023 Group Person-year Dead Rate(95%CI) 1 3183.0664 203 6.38(5.55–7.37) 2 684.52296 23 3.36(2.27–5.18) 3 375.31592 9 2.34(1.29–5.00) Total 4242.91 235 5.54(4.90–6.26) Table 7 presents the Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) model results for survival time among PLWH aged > 50 years in Baise City, with treatment groups as the core focus. Taking the early treatment group (Group 3, reference) as the benchmark, the delayed treatment group (Group 1) was significantly associated with shorter survival time (TR = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.14–0.78), while the conventional treatment group (Group 2) showed no significant difference in survival time compared with the early treatment group (TR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.26–1.83). Females had significantly longer survival time than males (TR = 3.59, 95%CI: 2.33–5.53); married individuals had significantly longer survival time than single individuals (TR = 1.80, 95%CI: 1.25–2.60); and individuals with secondary school education had significantly longer survival time than those with illiterate/primary education (TR = 2.05, 95%CI: 1.33–3.15). In contrast, individuals of “Others” ethnicity had significantly shorter survival time than those of Zhuang ethnicity (TR = 0.34, 95%CI: 0.14–0.88), and baseline regimens containing LPV/r were significantly associated with shorter survival time compared with the 3TC + TDF + EFV regimen (TR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.26–0.65). Table 7 Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) Model Analysis of Survival Time in PLWH Aged > 50 Years in Baise City Variabes B SE Z P TR(95%CI) Gender Male 1 Female 1.28 0.221 5.78 < 0.001 3.59(2.33–5.53) Marital Status Single 1 Married 0.59 0.187 3.14 0.002 1.80(1.25–2.60) Ethnicity Zhuang 1 Han 0.09 0.266 0.34 0.736 1.09(0.65–1.84) Others −1.07 0.477 −2.24 0.025 0.34(0.14–0.88) Education Level Illiterate/Primary 1 Secondary School 0.72 0.220 3.26 0.001 2.05(1.33–3.15) High school or above 0.56 0.391 1.43 0.154 1.75(0.81–3.75) Occupation Farmer Others −0.11 0.308 −0.35 0.728 0.90(0.49–1.64) Baseline Regimen 3TC + TDF + EFV 1 3TC + AZT + EFV 0.44 0.316 1.39 0.165 1.55(0.83–2.88) LPV/r–containing drugs −0.89 0.237 −3.75 < 0.001 0.41(0.26–0.65) Others −0.07 0.313 −0.22 0.824 0.93(0.51–1.72) History of Tuberculosis No 1 Yes −0.42 0.260 −1.62 0.106 0.66(0.39–1.09) Group 1 −1.12 0.440 −2.53 0.011 0.33(0.14–0.78) 2 −0.36 0.495 −0.73 0.463 0.70(0.26–1.83) 3 1 2.5 Serious Adverse Drug Reaction Occurrence In this study, the incidence of SADRs among PLWH aged over 50 years in Baise was 25% (95% CI: 23.0%–27.0%), with the incidence in all three groups exceeding 22%. Specific values are presented in Table 8 . Table 8 Serious Adverse Drug Reaction Occurrence by Treatment Group Group Cases Group total Incidence(%) 1 346 1347 25.7(23.4–28.1) 2 67 289 23.2(18.7–28.4) 3 37 166 22.3(16.6–29.3) Total 450 1802 25.0(23.0–27.0) The logistic regression results in Table 9 showed no statistically significant differences in the risk of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) between the delayed treatment group and conventional treatment group compared with the early treatment group. This indicates that no significant association was observed between the timing of treatment initiation and SADRs among older PLWH in Baise. In contrast, the antiretroviral treatment regimen emerged as a key influencing factor for SADRs. When compared with the most commonly used regimen (3TC + TDF + EFV), both the 3TC + AZT + EFV regimen (aOR = 3.50, 95% CI: 2.57–4.76, P < 0.001) and other unspecified regimens (aOR = 2.80, 95% CI: 2.00–3.92, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with a higher risk of SADRs. These findings suggest that the main first-line regimen (3TC + TDF + EFV) carries a relatively low risk of SADRs in the elderly population. Table 9 Logistic Regression on Factors Influencing Serious Adverse Drug Reactions in PLWH Aged ≥ 50 in Baise Variable B SE Wald χ2 P aOR (95% CI) Gender Male 1 Female 0.011 0.121 0.008 0.93 1.01 (0.80–1.28) Marital Status Single Married −0.016 0.119 0.018 0.894 0.98 (0.78–1.24) Ethnicity Zhuang 1 Han −0.158 0.157 1.015 0.314 0.85 (0.63–1.16) Others −0.006 0.376 0 0.986 0.99 (0.48–2.08) Education Level Illiterate/Primary 1 Secondary School −0.064 0.136 0.218 0.641 0.94 (0.72–1.23) High school or above 0.005 0.216 0 0.983 1.01 (0.66–1.53) Occupation Farmer 1 Others −0.192 0.175 1.197 0.274 0.82 (0.59–1.16) Baseline Regimen 3TC + TDF + EFV 1 3TC + AZT + EFV 1.253 0.157 63.779 < 0.001 3.50 (2.57–4.76) LPV/r–containing drugs 0.31 0.172 3.257 0.071 1.36 (0.97–1.91) Others 1.028 0.172 35.657 < 0.001 2.80 (2.00–3.92) Group 1 0.197 0.205 0.923 0.337 1.22 (0.81–1.82) 2 0.035 0.241 0.021 0.885 1.04 (0.65–1.66) 3 1 3. Discussion 3.1 Low Early ART Initiation and High Late ART Initiation Among Older PLWH in Baise City In older PLWH in Baise City, the proportion initiating early treatment (baseline CD4 > 500 cells/μL) was only 9.2%, whereas the proportion receiving late treatment (baseline CD4 ≤ 350 cells/μL) reached as high as 74.7%. Despite China’s nationwide “Test and Treat” strategy being implemented since 2016, fewer than 10% of older PLWH in this region initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) during the early stages of infection—when CD4 counts are relatively high—indicating that the strategy has not yet achieved optimal effectiveness in this age group. The root cause of this phenomenon lies in the low rate of early diagnosis among older PLWH, with the majority only being identified at advanced stages of infection [8] . Nationally, late diagnosis of HIV remains prevalent in China, and older individuals are particularly affected due to multiple factors including limited health awareness, nonspecific symptoms, and delayed healthcare-seeking behavior [13] . This challenge is not unique to China but represents a common obstacle in HIV prevention and control efforts across many countries [14-16] . As population aging accelerates and the risk of HIV infection among older adults continues to rise, delayed diagnosis leading to delayed treatment has become a key bottleneck in improving long-term outcomes for older PLWH. 3.2 Timing of ART Initiation Did Not Affect Viral Suppression, but Sex and Treatment Regimens Did Achieving a viral load below the detection limit is generally recognized as a hallmark of successful highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), indicating complete viral suppression in the body [17] . Results from the present study showed that 80% of patients achieved viral suppression after 6–12 months of treatment. After 2 years of treatment, the viral suppression rate reached 90% across all three groups. This treatment efficacy is consistent with findings reported in populations from other regions of China. For instance, national data from China in 2019 demonstrated that among 704,375 people living with HIV (PLWH) who had received antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 12 months, the virological suppression rate was 82.9% [18] . In Dali, China, 84.97% of PLWH who had undergone treatment for more than 12 months achieved complete viral suppression [19] , while in Shaanxi Province, China, this rate was 80.3% [20] . From the GEE analysis results, there was no significant difference in viral suppression among groups with different timing of treatment initiation. In this study, no effect of timing of treatment initiation on viral suppression rate was observed in older PLWH. This contrasts with multiple studies demonstrating that initiating ART at higher baseline CD4 levels confers significant benefits on viral suppression in HIV-infected individuals [21-23] . The diminished independent predictive power of timing of treatment initiation alone in explaining viral suppression rates may be attributed to unique physiological, psychological, and social factors in the elderly patient population (e.g., comorbidities, adherence challenges, and immune system senescence). Consistent with the findings of multiple studies [24, 25] , the present study revealed that elderly female people living with HIV (PLWH) exhibited better viral suppression than elderly male PLWH. The higher likelihood of unsuppressed viremia in men may be associated with their engagement in high-risk behaviors and unhealthy activities (e.g., smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and substance abuse [25] ), which can lead to reduced adherence and treatment discontinuation, thereby increasing the risk of virological failure [26] . The present study found that PLWH receiving LPV/r-containing regimens at baseline had lower rates of viral suppression compared with those on the 3TC+TDF+EFV regimen. This indicates that treatment regimens are associated with virological response. Studies have shown that INSTI-based regimens are associated with more rapid virological suppression compared with those containing protease inhibitors (PIs) or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) [27] . Selecting ART regimens tailored to the characteristics of older adults may be more important than focusing exclusively on the timing of treatment initiation. 3.3 Early Treatment and Female Sex Associated with Better CD4 Recovery The present study demonstrated that among older PLWH in Baise, those in the delayed treatment group had lower post-treatment CD4 cell counts, which remained below 500 cells/μL across all post-treatment time points. In contrast, both the convention treatment group and early treatment group achieved CD4 cell counts exceeding 500 cells/μL during the same period. These results suggest that individuals with lower baseline CD4 cell counts (<350 cells/μL) experience greater difficulty in immune function recovery. Regarding the impact of treatment timing on immune function, the results of this study showed that the early treatment group had higher post-treatment CD4 cell levels compared with the delayed treatment group and the convention treatment group. The studies found that a lower pre-treatment CD4+ T-cell count was associated with a higher risk of immune reconstitution failure after ART [28-30] . This study also revealed that viral suppression status was significantly associated with CD4+ T-cell counts: older adults with HIV who experienced viral suppression failure had significantly lower counts than those with sustained viral suppression. Crowell et al. [31] argued that the value of early ART lies in "reducing the establishment of HIV viral reservoirs," which in turn indirectly promotes the recovery of immune function. While the impact of gender on CD4+ T cell recovery remains inconclusive [32] , the present study found that elderly female PLWH in Baise exhibited better post-treatment CD4 cell recovery than elderly male PLWH.Therefore, when formulating individualized treatment regimens for older PLWH in this region, it is necessary to fully consider gender-related differences in physiological mechanisms and give greater attention to elderly male patients. 3.4 Higher Mortality with Delayed ART, but Similar Survival with Early vs. Conventional Initiation This study showed that all-cause mortality was lower in the early treatment group than in the delayed treatment group, indicating that early treatment improves survival. This finding is consistent with evidence from other studies [33-35] . Early initiation of ART can rapidly suppress viral replication and limit long-term damage to the immune system. Therefore, early treatment significantly reduces the incidence of HIV-related complications—such as opportunistic infections and non-AIDS-defining events—and lowers the risk of mortality [36, 37] . However, the early treatment group did not differ significantly in survival from the conventional treatment group. A study in Rwanda reported similar findings [38] . CD4+ T-cell counts in these two groups were relatively high, which may explain the comparable immune and virological responses post-treatment. In this study, female PLWH had longer survival than male PLWH. Men had a higher risk of mortality than women. This may be attributed to the higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors among men, including smoking, alcohol use, high-risk sexual behaviors, and illicit drug use, as well as other health-related risk factors [39] . Treatment adherence and access to care also contribute to sex disparities in mortality. Additionally, women have greater opportunities for early HIV diagnosis through routine antenatal testing and pregnancy-related healthcare visits [40] . Conversely, men often experience delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation, along with lower treatment adherence, all of which significantly increase mortality risk [41] . This study found that married individuals had longer survival than those who were unmarried. Similar findings have been reported in studies from the United States, where divorced, separated, and unmarried individuals face higher HIV-related mortality than married individuals [42] . The survival advantage associated with marriage may be linked to emotional support, adherence encouragement, and daily care provided by spouses—factors that are particularly beneficial for older adults. In this region, all ethnic groups other than the Han and Zhuang are ethnic minorities. The "other ethnic groups" category had a higher risk of mortality compared to the Zhuang, which may be associated with differences in healthcare accessibility and health awareness. Given that Baise is a resource-limited setting, older adults in this group require strengthened support along the HIV care cascade to ensure timely linkage to care, treatment continuity, and sustained viral suppression. This study found that individuals receiving a baseline regimen containing lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) had a higher risk of mortality compared to those on 3TC+TDF+EFV. LPV/r, a protease inhibitor, is associated with metabolic complications such as dyslipidemia and insulin resistance [43-46] . Given that older adults often have pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, these adverse effects may exacerbate underlying comorbidities, potentially contributing to reduced survival. 3.5 SADR Not Associated with Treatment Timing, but Influenced by ART Regimens In this study, 25% of older PLWH in Baise experienced SADRs, with rates exceeding 22% across all treatment groups. The occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and SADRs among older PLWH has also been documented in diverse global settings. In sub-Saharan Africa, a cohort study in Mali reported that 42.3% of patients experienced any-grade ADRs, particularly those with advanced disease [47] . In Asia, a study from India found high incidence rates of ADRs (52 per 100 person-years) and SADRs (15 per 100 person-years) [48] . A pooled analysis in Ethiopia reported a lower ADR burden (5.09 per 100 person-years) [49] . These reports collectively highlight that ADRs are a common clinical concern in the management of HIV. As “Test and Treat ”strategy become more widely implemented to improve HIV care coverage, the likelihood of ADRs in PLWH tends to increase accordingly [50] . This study found no significant association between ART initiation timing (based on CD4 count) and the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs) among older PLWH. These findings align with a cohort study in Shanghai, China, which reported no difference in adverse event rates between patients initiating ART at CD4 ≤200/μL and 200–350/μL [51] . In contrast, a UK study observed higher ADR rates in patients starting ART at CD4 >500 cells/μL, suggesting greater toxicity concerns at earlier initiation [52] . However, that study included younger populations, and findings may not generalize to older adults. The absence of a clear CD4–ADR relationship in our cohort may be influenced by other factors known to affect ADR risk. Evidence from Ethiopia highlights age, BMI, regimen type, and concomitant medications as predictors of ADR timing [49] , while a study in Mali reported higher ADR risks with protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimens and increasing age [47] . Notably, in this cohort of older PLWH, the 3TC+AZT+EFV regimen was associated with higher ADR rates than 3TC+TDF+EFV—consistent with studies from South Africa [27] and China [53] . This may reflect older adults’heightened susceptibility to AZT-related myelosuppression and gastrointestinal intolerance, despite TDF’s renal and bone toxicity risks [54] . Collectively, the data suggest that among older PLWH, regimen choice and individual characteristics may be more influential than CD4 count in determining ADR risk, supporting the need for tailored ART initiation strategies. 3.6 Limitations As a real-world longitudinal observational study, this research is inherently prone to missing data—due to loss to inconsistent monitoring, or incomplete record keeping—which may introduce information and selection bias, potentially impacting the accuracy and generalizability of findings. Additionally, incomplete or missing data on some clinical and behavioral variables limits the comprehensiveness of outcome analyses and adjustment for potential confounders. 4 Conclusion This study shows that among older PLWH in Baise City, the proportion of early ART initiation is extremely low, while 74.7% start treatment late, indicating a significant gap in the implementation of the “Test and Treat” strategy in this population. ART initiation timing did not influence viral suppression or the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs); however, delayed initiation was associated with impaired immune recovery and increased mortality. Treatment outcomes were influenced by regimen choice, sex, and marital status. Clinically, ART should be initiated as early as possible, and individualized strategies based on patient characteristics are needed to optimize outcomes in older PLWH. Declarations Ethics Statement This study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Youjiang Medical College for Nationalities (Review Number: 2020080101). People involved in antiviral therapy have signed informed consent forms to voluntarily receive antiviral treatment. Author contributions Jianying Liao conceptualized the study, formulated the main research objectives, designed the study protocol, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. Jian Chen collected and organized the data, and contributed to data interpretation. Sher Zaman Safi supervised the study design and data analysis, revised the manuscript critically for intellectual content, and approved the final version. Funding This study was supported by the Scientific Research and Technology Development Project of Baise City [20203001]. The founders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript. Conflict of interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. References Ngugi MJ. Prevention of HIV among Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review[J]. Res Invention J Public Health Pharm. 2024;3(3):50–5. 10.59298/rijpp/2024/335055 . Fu L, Tian T, Wang B, et al. 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Liu P, Liao L, Xu W, et al. Adherence, virological outcome, and drug resistance in Chinese HIV patients receiving first-line antiretroviral therapy from 2011 to 2015.[J]. Medicine. 2018;97(50):e13555. 10.1097/MD.0000000000013555 . Zhu M, Jia L, Wang Y, et al. Comparative evaluation of adverse drug reactions for tenofovir alafenamide and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate using the FAERS Database: a disproportionality analysis[J]. Exp Opin Drug Saf. 2025;24(9):1073–82. 10.1080/14740338.2024.2391496 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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14:26:51","extension":"html","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":220294,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7771319/v1/2a98dad28d85d83535720313.html"},{"id":97900354,"identity":"4028ec50-6a30-410c-bd82-829a2f581992","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-10 15:45:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1576434,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7771319/v1/02c2fecc-30e2-48cd-b702-e61fb98d4875.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Association Between ART Initiation Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Older People Living With HIV: A Longitudinal Study from Baise, China","fulltext":[{"header":"Background:","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among the global elderly population has emerged as an increasingly prominent public health concern\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD Study) indicated that the burden of HIV/AIDS in the elderly population aged 60 years and above had been on a consistent rise between 1990 and 2021\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. In the field of AIDS research, the elderly population is generally defined with a cutoff of 50 years and above, so as to distinguish it from the sexually active population in the conventional 15\u0026ndash;49 years age group\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. In China, the number of newly diagnosed HIV cases among the elderly population has exhibited a marked upward trend. Statistics revealed that among the newly reported HIV-infected individuals in China in 2022, those aged 50 years and above accounted for 48.1%, meaning nearly half of the new HIV infections occurred in the elderly population\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. A survey showed that the HIV incidence rate among rural elderly residents aged 50\u0026ndash;69 years in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (where Baise City is situated) was 7.47 (95% CI: 5.97\u0026ndash;8.98) per 100,000 person-years, which was higher than the HIV incidence rate of local general rural adult residents (2.73, 95% CI: 2.38\u0026ndash;3.08 per 100,000 person-years)\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe status of HIV infection among the elderly population is a matter of great concern. This aging-related trend is further complicated by unique challenges: elderly patients often experience delayed diagnosis and typically present with advanced-stage infection, which can be attributed to their low self-perceived risk of HIV, low suspicion of HIV among healthcare providers, and disease-related stigma\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Data show that over 60% of patients aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50 years in China have an initial CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count of \u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;200 cells/\u0026micro;L at diagnosis\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. Additionally, age-related organ dysfunction and polypharmacy for chronic comorbidities increase the risk of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs)\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e, thereby complicating the management of antiretroviral therapy (ART).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSince 2016, China has implemented the \u0026ldquo;Test and Treat\u0026rdquo; strategy, recommending immediate initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) upon HIV diagnosis, irrespective of CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count or clinical stage. This strategy is supported by evidence that early ART maximizes viral suppression, preserves immune function, and reduces mortality in the general HIV-positive population\u003csup\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]\u003c/sup\u003e. However, the efficacy and safety of early ART initiation in elderly patients\u0026mdash;particularly those with relatively high CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell counts at diagnosis\u0026mdash;remain insufficiently established. Data on long-term outcomes according to timing of ART initiation in this subgroup are still limited.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt remains unclear whether older adults initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) early in the course of HIV infection achieve superior virological control, immune reconstitution, and survival. Moreover, the safety of early ART in this population\u0026mdash;particularly the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs)\u0026mdash;warrants long-term evaluation, given that older individuals are more susceptible to treatment-related complications.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis prospective cohort study aims to compare treatment outcomes\u0026mdash;including virological response, immune recovery, time-to-event outcomes, and SADRs incidence\u0026mdash;among urban-dwelling older adults with HIV (aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50 years) in China, stratified by the timing of ART initiation. The findings will provide real-world evidence regarding whether early ART confers additional clinical benefits in this population. Results may inform the optimization of HIV prevention and control strategies, enhance ART outcomes, and alleviate the disease burden in this vulnerable group.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"1 Participants and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.1 Data Collection\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis study adopted a longitudinal follow-up observational design. Data were extracted from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention\u0026mdash;Comprehensive Response Information System for HIV/AIDS. Upon diagnosis, people living with HIV (PLWH) are enrolled in this system for monitoring and undergo scheduled clinical follow-up visits. Information was collected from January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2023.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.2 Study Participants\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003ePLWH were included in the study if they met the following criteria: (1) initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between January 1, 2017, and June 30, 2022; (2) age\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50 years at ART initiation; (3) availability of a CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count measured within 60 days prior to ART initiation; and (4) a registered residential address in Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Pregnant women were excluded. A total of 1,802 eligible individuals were included in the final analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the timing of ART initiation was operationally defined by the baseline CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count measured within 60 days prior to treatment start. Based on this indicator, participants were classified into three groups: Group 1 (delayed treatment group) for those with CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;counts\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;350 cells/\u0026micro;L, Group 2 (conventional treatment group) for counts of 350\u0026ndash;500 cells/\u0026micro;L, and Group 3 (early treatment group) for counts\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;500 cells/\u0026micro;L. These thresholds align with historical international guidelines for ART initiation and reflect varying stages of immunological status at treatment onset.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.3 Definitions and Terms\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e(1) Viral suppression: the confirmation of HIV RNA levels being below the lowest detectable limit of the test.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(2) Low-level viremia(LLV): the presence of detectable plasma HIV RNA levels between 50 and 400 copies/mL..\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(3) Virological failure: plasma HIV RNA levels exceeding 400 copies/mL after 24 weeks of antiretroviral therapy (ART), confirmed by a subsequent test.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(4) Survival time (for survival analysis): the survival time of participants who survived was defined as the interval from the date of ART initiation to the end of the study observation period (June 30, 2023); for participants who died, it was the interval from the date of ART initiation to the date of death; and for participants who were lost to follow-up, it was the interval from the date of ART initiation to the recorded date of lost to follow-up.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(5) Serious Adverse Drug Reactions (SADRs): defined as meeting any one of the following four criteria:①Hepatotoxicity: Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;200 U/L or Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;200 U/L; ②Nephrotoxicity: Serum Creatinine (SCR)\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;186 \u0026micro;mol/L; ③ Myelosuppression: Hemoglobin (HB)\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;70 g/L; ④ Drug substitution or discontinuation due to adverse drug reactions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e1.4 Statistical Methods\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescriptive statistics were used to summarize baseline characteristics and the distributions of key treatment outcomes\u0026mdash;including virological suppression, CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count, all-cause mortality, and SADRs\u0026mdash;across the three pre-defined groups. The association between treatment initiation timing and each outcome was evaluated using appropriate regression models.Categorical variables are presented as frequencies and proportions (percentages), while continuous variables are expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR, 25th\u0026ndash;75th percentiles), including CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell counts.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVirological outcomes were assessed at the following time intervals after ART initiation: 6\u0026ndash;12, 12\u0026ndash;24, 25\u0026ndash;36, 37\u0026ndash;48, 49\u0026ndash;60 months, and \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;60 months. A multinomial logistic generalized estimating equations (GEE) model with an exchangeable correlation structure was used to evaluate the association between treatment initiation timing and virological response over time, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen,the CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell counts prior to each VL measurement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell counts were assessed at the same time points post-ART initiation: 6\u0026ndash;12, 12\u0026ndash;24, 25\u0026ndash;36, 37\u0026ndash;48, 49\u0026ndash;60 months, and \u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;60 months. To account for the right-skewed distribution of CD4 counts, longitudinal changes were analyzed using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with a Gamma distribution and log link function, and an exchangeable correlation structure. The model evaluated the association between treatment initiation timing and CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell recovery over time, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen, and the viral load prior to each CD4 measurement.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll-cause mortality was assessed by treatment initiation group. Cox proportional hazards models were initially used, but the proportional hazards assumption was violated based on Schoenfeld residuals (global test, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.018). Therefore, Weibull accelerated failure time (AFT) models were employed to evaluate the association between treatment initiation timing and time to death. The model was adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen, and history of tuberculosis. Results are presented as time ratios (TR) with 95% confidence intervals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSADRs were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression to assess the association with treatment initiation timing. The model was adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, education level, occupation, baseline antiretroviral regimen. Results are reported as adjusted odds ratios (aOR) with 95% confidence intervals.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo-sided tests were used, and a p-value\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05 was considered statistically significant. All analyses were performed using Stata 17.0 (StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX, USA).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"2 Result","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.1 Baseline Characteristics by Treatment Initiation Group\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e presents the baseline characteristics of 1,802 elderly participants across three different initiation timing groups. The majority were male (59.3%) and married (65.3%), with Han ethnicity being predominant (83.3%). Most participants had low educational attainment: 65.5% were illiterate or had only primary school education. Regarding occupation, farmers constituted the largest proportion (88%).The majority of elderly participants were classified as having initiated ART at a delayed stage (1,347 [74.7%]), compared to only 166 (9.2%) who started at an early stage.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere were differences in gender distribution across treatment groups, with a lower proportion of males in Group 3 compared to Group 1. The distribution of baseline ART regimens also differed significantly. No significant differences were observed in other characteristics among the three groups.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Characteristics of Older Adults by Treatment Initiation Group\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1802)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup 1\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1347)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup 2\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;289)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup 3\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;166)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eχ\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9.176\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1069 (59.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e825 (61.2)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e160 (55.4)\u003csup\u003ea,b\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e84 (50.6)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e733 (40.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e522 (38.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e129 (44.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e82 (49.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital Status, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.789\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.15\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e626 (34.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e485 (36.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e89 (30.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52 (31.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1176 (65.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e862 (64.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e200 (69.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e114 (68.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthnicity, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.113\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.539\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhuang\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e254 (14.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e191 (14.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e43 (14.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e20 (12.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1501 (83.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1125 (83.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e237 (82.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e139 (83.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47 (2.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e31 (2.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 (3.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7 (4.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation Level, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.319\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.365\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIlliterate/Primary\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1180 (65.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e879 (65.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e191 (66.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e110 (66.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecondary School\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e472 (26.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e357 (26.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e68 (23.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e47 (28.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh school or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e150 (8.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e111 (8.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30 (10.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9 (5.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOccupation, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.395\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.302\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1586 (88.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1190 (88.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e247 (85.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e149 (89.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e216 (12.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e157 (11.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e42 (14.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17 (10.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Regimen, n(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e50.785\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1166 (64.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e857 (63.6)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e194 (67.1)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e115 (69.3)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e223 (12.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e139 (10.3)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e52 (18.0)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32 (19.3)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLPV/r-containing drugs\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e231 (12.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e184 (13.7)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e32 (11.1)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e15 (9.0)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e182 (10.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e167 (12.4)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11 (3.8)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4 (2.4)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003eNote: χ\u0026sup2;: Chi-square test.In the table, groups labeled with the same superscript letter (a, b) indicate no significant difference, while groups with different letters denote statistically significant differences.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.2 Virological Suppression\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on the available testing data, within 6\u0026ndash;12 months after ART initiation, the viral suppression rates of the delayed treatment group and standard treatment group both reached over 80%, while that of the early treatment group reached over 90%. During the subsequent follow-up period, the viral suppression rate of the early treatment group remained basically above 90%. After 25 months of ART initiation, the viral suppression rates of the delayed treatment group and standard treatment group also basically reached over 90%. Detailed data are shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVirological Response Over Time Across Treatment Initiation Groups\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTime\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eViral suppression[n(%)]\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow-level viral viremia[n(%)]\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVirological failure[n(%)]\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u0026ndash;12m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e671(84.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e71(9.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49(6.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e791\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e146(89.6)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11(6.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6(3.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e163\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e96(92.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3(2.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5(4.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e104\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u0026ndash;24m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e725(86.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e46(5.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e70(8.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e841\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e166(91.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7(3.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9(4.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e182\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e91(88.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5(4.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e7(6.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25\u0026ndash;36m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e533(92.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23(4.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23(4.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e579\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e115(92.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6(4.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3(2.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e124\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e62(93.9)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2(3.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2(3.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e66\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37\u0026ndash;48m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e321(93.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11(3.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12(3.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e344\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69(92.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3(4.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3(4.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e36(94.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2(5.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49\u0026ndash;48m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e166(93.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8(4.5)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4(2.2)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e178\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22(88.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1(4.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2(8.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17(100.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;60m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e69(95.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2(2.8)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1(1.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11(91.7)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1(8.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6(100.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0(0.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGeneralized estimating equation (GEE) analysis showed no statistically significant difference in virological outcomes among older adults with HIV in Baise City across different treatment initiation groups. Compared to the early treatment group (group 3), neither the delayed treatment group (group 1) (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.69, 95% CI: 0.97\u0026ndash;2.95) nor the conventional treatment group (group 2) (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.25, 95% CI: 0.68\u0026ndash;2.32) demonstrated a significant association with progressive virological failure.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the multivariable model, female sex was associated with significantly lower odds of suboptimal virological response (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.621, 95% CI: 0.468\u0026ndash;0.823), indicating better viral suppression. In contrast, participants with non-farming occupations had higher odds of unsuppressed status compared to farmers (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.668, 95% CI: 1.046\u0026ndash;2.660). Similarly, those receiving the 3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV regimen had higher odds of not achieving or maintaining viral suppression than those on 3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.611, 95% CI: 1.095\u0026ndash;2.370).Virological suppression rates increased gradually(aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.746, 95% CI: 0.660\u0026ndash;0.843 ), and virological control continued to improve with longer treatment duration.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGeneralized Estimating Equations (GEE) Analysis of Factors Influencing Post-Treatment Virological Response\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWald χ\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eaOR(95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.477\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1438\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e10.998\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.62(0.47\u0026ndash;0.82)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital Status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.030\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1402\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.045\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.832\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.03(0.78\u0026ndash;1.36)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthnicity\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhuang\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.283\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2045\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.916\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.166\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.75(0.51\u0026ndash;1.13)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.059\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.5005\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.014\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.906\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.06(0.40\u0026ndash;2.83)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation Level\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIlliterate/Primary\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecondary School\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.201\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1554\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.668\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.197\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.82(0.60\u0026ndash;1.11)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh school or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.429\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.241\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.175\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.65(0.41\u0026ndash;1.04)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOccupation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.512\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2381\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.619\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.032\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.67(1.05\u0026ndash;2.66)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Regimen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.278\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2005\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.922\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.166\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.32(0.89\u0026ndash;1.96)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLPV/r-containing drugs\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.477\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.197\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.858\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.016\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.61(1.10\u0026ndash;2.37)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.364\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2067\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.098\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.078\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.44(0.96\u0026ndash;2.16)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.524\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2847\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.388\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.066\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.69(0.97\u0026ndash;2.95)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.223\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.3144\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.505\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.477\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.25(0.68\u0026ndash;2.32)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD4 level before VL testing\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;350 cells/\u0026micro;L\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e350\u0026ndash;500 cells/\u0026micro;L\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.080\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2494\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.104\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.747\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.92(0.57\u0026ndash;1.51)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;500 cells/\u0026micro;L\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.430\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.2401\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.206\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.54(0.96\u0026ndash;2.46)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMissing Results\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.200\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1772\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.275\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.259\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.22(0.86\u0026ndash;1.73)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTime\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.293\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0623\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.151\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.75(0.66\u0026ndash;0.84)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.3 CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell Recovery\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn all time periods after treatment, the CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count in the delayed treatment group was consistently lower than that in the conventional treatment group and the early treatment group, with no statistically significant difference between the latter two groups.The median CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count of the delayed treatment group never exceeded 500cells/\u0026micro;L and remained above 300cells/\u0026micro;L consistently. All the above details are specifically shown in Table\u0026nbsp;4.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count across three treatment groups over time\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTime\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup 1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eH\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6\u0026ndash;12m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e292(188,403)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e502(409,668)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e632(497,820)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e270.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e13\u0026ndash;24m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e311(205,443)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e564(443,738)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e660(514,884)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e302.77\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25-36m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e338(216,466)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e543(425,466)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e675(517,880)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e169.70\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37\u0026ndash;48m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e370(254,508)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e570(452,724)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e657(564,953)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e89.25\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e49\u0026ndash;60m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e378(264,537)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e611(454,847)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e601(505,892)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e28.29\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;60m\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e380(292,530)\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e684(394,949)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e788(571,870)\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e12.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003ctfoot\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003eNote :The values of CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count are median (interquartile range, cells/\u0026micro;L). H is the test statistic for the Kruskal - Wallis test. Groups labeled with the same superscript letter (a, b) indicate no significant difference, while groups with different letters denote statistically significant differences.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tfoot\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab5\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e, generalized estimating equations (GEE) analysis revealed significant factors associated with CD4⁺ T-cell count during follow-up. CD4⁺ T-cell count increased significantly over time (B\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.071, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Compared with the early treatment group (group 3), the delayed treatment group (group 1, B = \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.661, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) and the conventional treatment group (group 2, B = \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.499, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) had lower CD4⁺ T-cell counts. Female was associated with higher CD4⁺ T-cell counts (B\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.119, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). Relative to viral suppression, virological failure was associated with lower CD4⁺ T-cell counts (B = \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.222, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.003). No significant associations were observed for marital status, ethnicity, education level, occupation, or most baseline antiretroviral regimens (all P\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), except for the \u0026ldquo;other\u0026rdquo; regimen category, which was associated with higher CD4⁺ T-cell counts compared to 3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV (B\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.100, P\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.034).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab5\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 5\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGeneralized Estimating Equations (GEE) Analysis of Factors Influencing Post-Treatment CD4\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;T-cell count\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVaiables\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eB 95% CI\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWald χ\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTime\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.055\u0026ndash;0.087\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e77.543\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.119\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.067\u0026ndash;0.171\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e19.931\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital Status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.029\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.027\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.024\u0026ndash;0.082\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.178\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.278\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthnicity\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhuang\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.011\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.091\u0026ndash;0.069\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.791\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.083\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.093\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.098\u0026ndash;0.265\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.809\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.369\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation Level\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIlliterate/Primary\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecondary School\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.019\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.03\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.040\u0026ndash;0.078\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.403\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.526\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh school or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.01\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.051\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.109\u0026ndash;0.090\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.849\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOccupation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.048\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.124\u0026ndash;0.027\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.565\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.211\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Regimen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.054\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.016\u0026ndash;0.123\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.283\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.131\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLPV/r\u0026ndash;containing drugs\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.002\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.081\u0026ndash;0.077\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.962\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.008\u0026ndash;0.193\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4.513\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.034\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.661\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.036\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.732 \u0026ndash;\u0026minus;0.59.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e336.06\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.162\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.0378\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.236 \u0026ndash;\u0026minus;0.088\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e18.412\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVL before CD4 testing\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eViral Suppression\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLow\u0026ndash;level Viremia\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.052\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.073\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.091\u0026ndash;0.195\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.512\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.474\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVirological Failure\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.222\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.369 \u0026ndash; \u0026minus;0.075\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e8.806\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMissing Results\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.08\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.023\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035\u0026ndash;0.125\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e11.933\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.4 All-Cause Mortality\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab6\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e, the all-cause mortality rate of treatment-naive PLWH aged over 50 years in Baise City during the period from 2017 to June 2023 was 5.54 per 100 person-years. Specifically, the mortality rate in the delayed treatment group reached 6.38 per 100 person-years, while that in the conventional treatment group and early treatment group was 3.36 and 2.34 per 100 person-years, respectively.The Log-rank test indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival time among the three groups ( χ\u0026sup2;=17.03, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) .\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab6\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 6\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll-cause Mortality by Treatment Group, Jan 2017 \u0026ndash; Jun 2023\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerson-year\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eDead\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eRate(95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3183.0664\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e203\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e6.38(5.55\u0026ndash;7.37)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e684.52296\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.36(2.27\u0026ndash;5.18)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e375.31592\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e9\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.34(1.29\u0026ndash;5.00)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4242.91\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e235\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.54(4.90\u0026ndash;6.26)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e presents the Accelerated Failure Time (AFT) model results for survival time among PLWH aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;50 years in Baise City, with treatment groups as the core focus. Taking the early treatment group (Group 3, reference) as the benchmark, the delayed treatment group (Group 1) was significantly associated with shorter survival time (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.33, 95% CI: 0.14\u0026ndash;0.78), while the conventional treatment group (Group 2) showed no significant difference in survival time compared with the early treatment group (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.70, 95%CI: 0.26\u0026ndash;1.83). Females had significantly longer survival time than males (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.59, 95%CI: 2.33\u0026ndash;5.53); married individuals had significantly longer survival time than single individuals (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;1.80, 95%CI: 1.25\u0026ndash;2.60); and individuals with secondary school education had significantly longer survival time than those with illiterate/primary education (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.05, 95%CI: 1.33\u0026ndash;3.15). In contrast, individuals of \u0026ldquo;Others\u0026rdquo; ethnicity had significantly shorter survival time than those of Zhuang ethnicity (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.34, 95%CI: 0.14\u0026ndash;0.88), and baseline regimens containing LPV/r were significantly associated with shorter survival time compared with the 3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV regimen (TR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.41, 95%CI: 0.26\u0026ndash;0.65).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab7\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 7\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eAccelerated Failure Time (AFT) Model Analysis of Survival Time in PLWH Aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;50 Years in Baise City\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariabes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZ\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTR(95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.28\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.221\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e5.78\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.59(2.33\u0026ndash;5.53)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital Status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.59\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.187\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.14\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.80(1.25\u0026ndash;2.60)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthnicity\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhuang\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.09\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.266\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.34\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.736\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.09(0.65\u0026ndash;1.84)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;1.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.477\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;2.24\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.34(0.14\u0026ndash;0.88)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation Level\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIlliterate/Primary\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecondary School\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.72\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.220\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.26\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.05(1.33\u0026ndash;3.15)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh school or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.56\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.391\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.43\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.154\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.75(0.81\u0026ndash;3.75)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOccupation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.11\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.308\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.35\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.728\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.90(0.49\u0026ndash;1.64)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Regimen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.44\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.316\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.39\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.165\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.55(0.83\u0026ndash;2.88)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLPV/r\u0026ndash;containing drugs\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.89\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.237\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;3.75\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.41(0.26\u0026ndash;0.65)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.07\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.313\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.22\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.824\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.93(0.51\u0026ndash;1.72)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory of Tuberculosis\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.42\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.260\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;1.62\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.106\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.66(0.39\u0026ndash;1.09)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;1.12\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.440\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;2.53\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.33(0.14\u0026ndash;0.78)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.36\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.495\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.73\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.463\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.70(0.26\u0026ndash;1.83)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003e2.5 Serious Adverse Drug Reaction Occurrence\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this study, the incidence of SADRs among PLWH aged over 50 years in Baise was 25% (95% CI: 23.0%\u0026ndash;27.0%), with the incidence in all three groups exceeding 22%. Specific values are presented in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab8\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab8\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 8\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSerious Adverse Drug Reaction Occurrence by Treatment Group\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eCases\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup total\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIncidence(%)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e346\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1347\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.7(23.4\u0026ndash;28.1)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e67\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e289\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e23.2(18.7\u0026ndash;28.4)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e37\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e166\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e22.3(16.6\u0026ndash;29.3)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e450\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1802\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e25.0(23.0\u0026ndash;27.0)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe logistic regression results in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab9\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e showed no statistically significant differences in the risk of serious adverse drug reactions (SADRs) between the delayed treatment group and conventional treatment group compared with the early treatment group. This indicates that no significant association was observed between the timing of treatment initiation and SADRs among older PLWH in Baise. In contrast, the antiretroviral treatment regimen emerged as a key influencing factor for SADRs. When compared with the most commonly used regimen (3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV), both the 3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV regimen (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;3.50, 95% CI: 2.57\u0026ndash;4.76, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) and other unspecified regimens (aOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;2.80, 95% CI: 2.00\u0026ndash;3.92, P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001) were significantly associated with a higher risk of SADRs. These findings suggest that the main first-line regimen (3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV) carries a relatively low risk of SADRs in the elderly population.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab9\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 9\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLogistic Regression on Factors Influencing Serious Adverse Drug Reactions in PLWH Aged\u0026thinsp;\u0026ge;\u0026thinsp;50 in Baise\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eB\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSE\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eWald χ2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eP\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eaOR (95% CI)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.011\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.121\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.008\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.93\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01 (0.80\u0026ndash;1.28)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarital Status\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.016\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.119\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.894\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.98 (0.78\u0026ndash;1.24)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEthnicity\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eZhuang\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHan\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.158\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.157\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.015\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.314\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.85 (0.63\u0026ndash;1.16)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.006\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.376\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.986\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.99 (0.48\u0026ndash;2.08)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eEducation Level\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eIlliterate/Primary\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecondary School\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.064\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.136\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.218\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.641\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.94 (0.72\u0026ndash;1.23)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eHigh school or above\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.216\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.983\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.01 (0.66\u0026ndash;1.53)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOccupation\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026minus;0.192\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.175\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.197\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.274\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.82 (0.59\u0026ndash;1.16)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eBaseline Regimen\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;TDF\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3TC\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;AZT\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;EFV\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.253\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.157\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e63.779\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.50 (2.57\u0026ndash;4.76)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eLPV/r\u0026ndash;containing drugs\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.31\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.172\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3.257\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.071\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.36 (0.97\u0026ndash;1.91)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.028\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.172\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35.657\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2.80 (2.00\u0026ndash;3.92)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGroup\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.197\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.205\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.923\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.337\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.22 (0.81\u0026ndash;1.82)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.035\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.241\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.021\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e0.885\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1.04 (0.65\u0026ndash;1.66)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.1 Low Early ART Initiation and High Late ART Initiation Among Older PLWH in Baise City\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn older PLWH in Baise City, the proportion initiating early treatment (baseline CD4 \u0026gt; 500 cells/\u0026mu;L) was only 9.2%, whereas the proportion receiving late treatment (baseline CD4 \u0026le; 350 cells/\u0026mu;L) reached as high as 74.7%. Despite China\u0026rsquo;s nationwide \u0026ldquo;Test and Treat\u0026rdquo; strategy being implemented since 2016, fewer than 10% of older PLWH in this region initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) during the early stages of infection\u0026mdash;when CD4 counts are relatively high\u0026mdash;indicating that the strategy has not yet achieved optimal effectiveness in this age group.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe root cause of this phenomenon lies in the low rate of early diagnosis among older PLWH, with the majority only being identified at advanced stages of infection\u003csup\u003e[8]\u003c/sup\u003e. Nationally, late diagnosis of HIV remains prevalent in China, and older individuals are particularly affected due to multiple factors including limited health awareness, nonspecific symptoms, and delayed healthcare-seeking behavior\u003csup\u003e[13]\u003c/sup\u003e. This challenge is not unique to China but represents a common obstacle in HIV prevention and control efforts across many countries\u003csup\u003e[14-16]\u003c/sup\u003e. As population aging accelerates and the risk of HIV infection among older adults continues to rise, delayed diagnosis leading to delayed treatment has become a key bottleneck in improving long-term outcomes for older PLWH.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.2 Timing of ART Initiation Did Not Affect Viral Suppression, but Sex and Treatment Regimens Did \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAchieving a viral load below the detection limit is generally recognized as a hallmark of successful highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), indicating complete viral suppression in the body\u003csup\u003e[17]\u003c/sup\u003e. Results from the present study showed that 80% of patients achieved viral suppression after 6\u0026ndash;12 months of treatment. After 2 years of treatment, the viral suppression rate reached 90% across all three groups. This treatment efficacy is consistent with findings reported in populations from other regions of China. For instance, national data from China in 2019 demonstrated that among 704,375 people living with HIV (PLWH) who had received antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least 12 months, the virological suppression rate was 82.9%\u003csup\u003e[18]\u003c/sup\u003e. In Dali, China, 84.97% of PLWH who had undergone treatment for more than 12 months achieved complete viral suppression\u003csup\u003e[19]\u003c/sup\u003e, while in Shaanxi Province, China, this rate was 80.3%\u003csup\u003e[20]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the GEE analysis results, there was no significant difference in viral suppression among groups with different\u0026nbsp;timing of treatment initiation. In this study, no effect of\u0026nbsp;timing of treatment initiation\u0026nbsp;on viral suppression rate was observed in older PLWH. This contrasts with multiple studies demonstrating that initiating ART at higher baseline CD4 levels confers significant benefits on viral suppression in HIV-infected individuals\u003csup\u003e[21-23]\u003c/sup\u003e. The diminished independent predictive power of\u0026nbsp;timing of treatment initiation\u0026nbsp;alone in explaining viral suppression rates may be attributed to unique physiological, psychological, and social factors in the elderly patient population (e.g., comorbidities, adherence challenges, and immune system senescence).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsistent with the findings of multiple studies\u003csup\u003e[24, 25]\u003c/sup\u003e, the present study revealed that elderly female people living with HIV (PLWH) exhibited better viral suppression than elderly male PLWH. The higher likelihood of unsuppressed viremia in men may be associated with their engagement in high-risk behaviors and unhealthy activities (e.g., smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and substance abuse\u003csup\u003e[25]\u003c/sup\u003e), which can lead to reduced adherence and treatment discontinuation, thereby increasing the risk of virological failure\u003csup\u003e[26]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present study found that PLWH receiving LPV/r-containing regimens at baseline had lower rates of viral suppression compared with those on the 3TC+TDF+EFV regimen. This indicates that treatment regimens are associated with virological response. Studies have shown that INSTI-based regimens are associated with more rapid virological suppression compared with those containing protease inhibitors (PIs) or non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs)\u003csup\u003e[27]\u003c/sup\u003e. Selecting ART regimens tailored to the characteristics of older adults may be more important than focusing exclusively on the timing of treatment initiation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.3 Early Treatment and Female Sex Associated with Better CD4 Recovery\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe present study demonstrated that among older PLWH in Baise, those in the delayed treatment group had lower post-treatment CD4 cell counts, which remained below 500 cells/\u0026mu;L across all post-treatment time points. In contrast, both the\u0026nbsp;convention treatment group\u0026nbsp;and early treatment group achieved CD4 cell counts exceeding 500 cells/\u0026mu;L during the same period. These results suggest that individuals with lower baseline CD4 cell counts (\u0026lt;350 cells/\u0026mu;L) experience greater difficulty in immune function recovery.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegarding the impact of treatment timing on immune function, the results of this study showed that the early treatment group had higher post-treatment CD4 cell levels compared with the delayed treatment group and the\u0026nbsp;convention treatment group.\u0026nbsp;The studies found that a lower pre-treatment CD4+ T-cell count was associated with a higher risk of immune reconstitution failure after ART\u003csup\u003e[28-30]\u003c/sup\u003e. This study also revealed that viral suppression status was significantly associated with CD4+ T-cell counts: older adults with HIV who experienced viral suppression failure had significantly lower counts than those with sustained viral suppression. Crowell et al.\u003csup\u003e[31]\u003c/sup\u003e argued that the value of early ART lies in \u0026quot;reducing the establishment of HIV viral reservoirs,\u0026quot; which in turn indirectly promotes the recovery of immune function.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the impact of gender on CD4+ T cell recovery remains inconclusive\u003csup\u003e[32]\u003c/sup\u003e, the present study found that elderly female PLWH in Baise exhibited better post-treatment CD4 cell recovery than elderly male PLWH.Therefore, when formulating individualized treatment regimens for older PLWH in this region, it is necessary to fully consider gender-related differences in physiological mechanisms and give greater attention to elderly male patients.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.4 Higher Mortality with Delayed ART, but Similar Survival with Early vs. Conventional Initiation\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study showed that all-cause mortality was lower in the early treatment group than in the delayed treatment group, indicating that early treatment improves survival. This finding is consistent with evidence from other studies\u003csup\u003e[33-35]\u003c/sup\u003e. Early initiation of ART can rapidly suppress viral replication and limit long-term damage to the immune system. Therefore, early treatment significantly reduces the incidence of HIV-related complications\u0026mdash;such as opportunistic infections and non-AIDS-defining events\u0026mdash;and lowers the risk of mortality\u003csup\u003e[36, 37]\u003c/sup\u003e. However, the early treatment group did not differ significantly in survival from the conventional treatment group. A study in Rwanda reported similar findings\u003csup\u003e[38]\u003c/sup\u003e. CD4+ T-cell counts in these two groups were relatively high, which may explain the comparable immune and virological responses post-treatment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, female PLWH had longer survival than male PLWH. Men had a higher risk of mortality than women. This may be attributed to the higher prevalence of unhealthy behaviors among men, including smoking, alcohol use, high-risk sexual behaviors, and illicit drug use, as well as other health-related risk factors\u003csup\u003e[39]\u003c/sup\u003e. Treatment adherence and access to care also contribute to sex disparities in mortality. Additionally, women have greater opportunities for early HIV diagnosis through routine antenatal testing and pregnancy-related healthcare visits\u003csup\u003e[40]\u003c/sup\u003e. Conversely, men often experience delays in diagnosis and treatment initiation, along with lower treatment adherence, all of which significantly increase mortality risk\u003csup\u003e[41]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study found that married individuals had longer survival than those who were unmarried. Similar findings have been reported in studies from the United States, where divorced, separated, and unmarried individuals face higher HIV-related mortality than married individuals\u003csup\u003e[42]\u003c/sup\u003e. The survival advantage associated with marriage may be linked to emotional support, adherence encouragement, and daily care provided by spouses\u0026mdash;factors that are particularly beneficial for older adults.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this region, all ethnic groups other than the Han and Zhuang are ethnic minorities.\u0026nbsp;The \u0026quot;other ethnic groups\u0026quot; category had a higher risk of mortality compared to the Zhuang, which may be associated with differences in healthcare accessibility and health awareness. Given that Baise is a resource-limited setting, older adults in this group require strengthened support along the HIV care cascade to ensure timely linkage to care, treatment continuity, and sustained viral suppression.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study found that individuals receiving a baseline regimen containing lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) had a higher risk of mortality compared to those on 3TC+TDF+EFV. LPV/r, a protease inhibitor, is associated with metabolic complications such as dyslipidemia and insulin resistance\u003csup\u003e[43-46]\u003c/sup\u003e. Given that older adults often have pre-existing cardiovascular conditions, these adverse effects may exacerbate underlying comorbidities, potentially contributing to reduced survival.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.5 SADR Not Associated with Treatment Timing, but Influenced by ART Regimens\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn this study, 25% of older PLWH in Baise experienced SADRs, with rates exceeding 22% across all treatment groups. The occurrence of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and SADRs among older PLWH has also been documented in diverse global settings. In sub-Saharan Africa, a cohort study in Mali reported that 42.3% of patients experienced any-grade ADRs, particularly those with advanced disease\u003csup\u003e[47]\u003c/sup\u003e. In Asia, a study from India found high incidence rates of ADRs (52 per 100 person-years) and SADRs (15 per 100 person-years)\u003csup\u003e[48]\u003c/sup\u003e. A pooled analysis in Ethiopia reported a lower ADR burden (5.09 per 100 person-years)\u003csup\u003e[49]\u003c/sup\u003e. These reports collectively highlight that ADRs are a common clinical concern in the management of HIV. As \u0026ldquo;Test and Treat \u0026rdquo;strategy become more widely implemented to improve HIV care coverage, the likelihood of ADRs in PLWH tends to increase accordingly\u003csup\u003e[50]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study found no significant association between ART initiation timing (based on CD4 count) and the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs) among older PLWH. These findings align with a cohort study in Shanghai, China, which reported no difference in adverse event rates between patients initiating ART at CD4 \u0026le;200/\u0026mu;L and 200\u0026ndash;350/\u0026mu;L\u003csup\u003e[51]\u003c/sup\u003e. In contrast, a UK study observed higher ADR rates in patients starting ART at CD4 \u0026gt;500 cells/\u0026mu;L, suggesting greater toxicity concerns at earlier initiation\u003csup\u003e[52]\u003c/sup\u003e. However, that study included younger populations, and findings may not generalize to older adults.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe absence of a clear CD4\u0026ndash;ADR relationship in our cohort may be influenced by other factors known to affect ADR risk. Evidence from Ethiopia highlights age, BMI, regimen type, and concomitant medications as predictors of ADR timing\u003csup\u003e[49]\u003c/sup\u003e, while a study in Mali reported higher ADR risks with protease inhibitor (PI)-containing regimens and increasing age\u003csup\u003e[47]\u003c/sup\u003e. Notably, in this cohort of older PLWH, the 3TC+AZT+EFV regimen was associated with higher ADR rates than 3TC+TDF+EFV\u0026mdash;consistent with studies from South Africa\u003csup\u003e[27]\u003c/sup\u003e and China\u003csup\u003e[53]\u003c/sup\u003e. This may reflect older adults\u0026rsquo;heightened susceptibility to AZT-related myelosuppression and gastrointestinal intolerance, despite TDF\u0026rsquo;s renal and bone toxicity risks\u003csup\u003e[54]\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCollectively, the data suggest that among older PLWH, regimen choice and individual characteristics may be more influential than CD4 count in determining ADR risk, supporting the need for tailored ART initiation strategies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.6 Limitations\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a real-world longitudinal observational study, this research is inherently prone to missing data\u0026mdash;due to loss to inconsistent monitoring, or incomplete record keeping\u0026mdash;which may introduce information and selection bias, potentially impacting the accuracy and generalizability of findings. Additionally, incomplete or missing data on some clinical and behavioral variables limits the comprehensiveness of outcome analyses and adjustment for potential confounders.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4 Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study shows that among older PLWH in Baise City, the proportion of early ART initiation is extremely low, while 74.7% start treatment late, indicating a significant gap in the implementation of the \u0026ldquo;Test and Treat\u0026rdquo; strategy in this population. ART initiation timing did not influence viral suppression or the risk of severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs); however, delayed initiation was associated with impaired immune recovery and increased mortality. Treatment outcomes were influenced by regimen choice, sex, and marital status. Clinically, ART should be initiated as early as possible, and individualized strategies based on patient characteristics are needed to optimize outcomes in older PLWH.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics Statement \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Youjiang Medical College for Nationalities (Review Number: 2020080101). People involved in antiviral therapy have signed informed consent forms to voluntarily receive antiviral treatment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJianying Liao conceptualized the study, formulated the main research objectives, designed the study protocol, analyzed the data, and drafted the manuscript. Jian Chen collected and organized the data, and contributed to data interpretation. Sher Zaman Safi supervised the study design and data analysis, revised the manuscript critically for intellectual content, and approved the final version.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was supported by the Scientific Research and Technology Development Project of Baise City [20203001]. The founders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, the decision to publish, and preparation of the manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNgugi MJ. Prevention of HIV among Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review[J]. 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Exp Opin Drug Saf. 2025;24(9):1073\u0026ndash;82. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1080/14740338.2024.2391496\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/14740338.2024.2391496\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"HIV, Older adults, Antiretroviral therapy (ART), Treatment initiation timing, Treatment outcomes","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7771319/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7771319/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBackground:\u003c/strong\u003e The number of new HIV diagnoses among older people living with HIV (PLWH) is increasing in China. This population often faces delayed diagnosis, advanced disease, and polypharmacy, posing challenges for antiretroviral therapy (ART) management.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eObjectives:\u003c/strong\u003e To evaluate the impact of ART initiation timing—based on baseline CD4+ T-cell count—on viral suppression, immune recovery, survival, and severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs) among older PLWH aged ≥50 years in Baise, Guangxi, under the “Test and Treat” strategy. We further aimed to identify factors associated with treatment outcomes to inform individualized management.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eThis retrospective cohort study included 1,802 older people living with HIV (PLWH) aged ≥50 years who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the first time between January 2017 and June 2022 in Baise, Guangxi. Participants were categorized by baseline CD4+ T-cell count into delayed initiation (\u0026lt;350 cells/μL), standard initiation (350–500 cells/μL), and early initiation (\u0026gt;500 cells/μL). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to assess viral suppression and CD4+ T-cell recovery over time. The Weibull accelerated failure time (AFT) model was applied to estimate time to all-cause mortality. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs). Adjusted models accounted for age, gender, marital status, ethnicity, education level, and ART regimen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults: \u003c/strong\u003eOnly 9.2% of older people living with HIV (PLWH) initiated ART early (\u0026gt;500 cells/μL), while 74.7% started in late HIV infection (≤350 cells/μL). There was no significant difference in viral suppression by treatment group. The early treatment group achieved significantly better CD4+ T-cell recovery compared to the other two groups (P \u0026lt; 0.001). The delayed treatment group had significantly shorter survival than the early treatment group (time ratio [TR] = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.14–0.78), but no significant survival difference was observed between the early and conventional treatment groups. Overall, 25.0% of participants experienced severe adverse drug reactions (SADRs); SADR incidence did not differ by treatment group. However, the 3TC+AZT+EFV regimen was associated with a higher risk of SADR than 3TC+TDF+EFV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.50, 95% CI: 2.57–4.76). Women had better viral suppression and CD4+ T-cell recovery. Marital status, ethnicity, and ART regimen were also associated with survival outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion：\u003c/strong\u003eThe implementation of China’s “Test and Treat” strategy has not met expectations. ART initiation timing did not affect viral suppression or SADR risk; however, delayed initiation impaired immune recovery and increased mortality risk. Clinically, ART should be initiated as early as possible for older PLWH, and individualized strategies should be developed based on their characteristics to optimize treatment outcomes.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Association Between ART Initiation Timing and Treatment Outcomes in Older People Living With HIV: A Longitudinal Study from Baise, China","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-10-17 14:18:47","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7771319/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"c2a9f4bb-f467-422e-a105-b188778db7e8","owner":[],"postedDate":"October 17th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-10T13:09:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-10-17 14:18:47","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7771319","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7771319","identity":"rs-7771319","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}