HIV treatment cascade in regions of Peru with the highest HIV prevalence

Objectives To describe the HIV treatment cascade and care continuum in regions of highest HIV prevalence in Peru. Methods An observational longitudinal study was carried out in 14 tertiary hospitals in Peru. These are the main hospitals that administer antiretroviral treatment (ART) in the regions that represent approximately 95% of reports of HIV/AIDS cases in Peru in 2013. We included individuals older than 18 years newly diagnosed with HIV from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2012. Medical records were reviewed until 2015. Results A total of 2119 people living with HIV (PLHIV) were identified in the selected health facilities (mean age = 35.26 years, 78% male). 97.25% [1845/1897; 95% confidence interval (CI): 96.4–97.9%] of the patients attended the consultation at least once during the follow‐up, but only 64.84% (885/1365; 95% CI: 62.2–67.4%) attended within a month after the diagnosis. After starting ART, 74.63% (95% CI: 71.9–77.2%) of PLHIV remained in healthcare. Regardless of the time after diagnosis, 88.40% (1837/2078; 95% CI: 86.9–89.7%) of PLHIV started ART during the observation time. However, 78.68% (95% CI: 76.8–80.4%) did so during the first post‐treatment year and only 28.88% (95% CI: 27.9–31.9%) after 1 month. After starting treatment, it was observed that 51.60% (95% CI: 49.2–54%) of PLHIV reached viral suppression during the follow‐up period. Conclusions Further analysis and improvements in the definition of indicators are required to achieve conclusive results; however, these data will give us a general understanding of the progress of Peruvian health policies in achieving the goal established by the WHO.