INTRODUCTION: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has reduced @entity645 morbidity and mortality worldwide but has many adverse effects. These adverse drug reactions (ADRs) lead to discontinuations, disease progression or treatment failure. We explored the types and risk factors for ADRs in a cohort starting ART in a teaching hospital in Accra, Ghana where the main regimens used were a combination of @entity377 and non @entity377 reverse transcriptase inhibitors. METHODS: A Cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted reviewing data of 2042 @entity1 initiated on HAART from 2003 to 2007. Univariate analysis was done for the dependent and independent variables. Stepwise logistic regression procedures were used to model the effect of gender on the development of ADRs controlling for other variables like age, marital status, weight at baseline and @entity404 at baseline. RESULTS: The period prevalence of ADRs was 9.4%. The two most common adverse reactions were @entity417 and @entity294 . Female sex was a statistically significant independent predictor of an adverse drug reaction (AOR: 1.66, p=0.01, CI: 1.16-2.36). @entity404 counts 250 cells/mm3 or more was significantly associated with the occurrence of an ADR. The occurrence of @entity417 in females was statistically significant compared to males. CONCLUSION: @entity137 were less common than expected, @entity417 was the commonest ADR. Female sex and high @entity404 counts>250 mm3 were predictors of ADRs whereas females were significantly more likely to develop @entity417 than males. Recommendations were made for interventions to prevent and also mitigate the high levels of @entity417 especially among @entity1 in the ART scale up.

XXXX to antiretroviral therapy during the early art period at a tertiary hospital in Ghana.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['women', 'patients'] @entity137 :: ('MESH:D064420', 'Disease') :: ['Adverse drug reactions'] @entity404 :: ('920', 'Gene') :: ['CD4'] @entity417 :: ('MESH:D000740', 'Disease') :: ['anaemia'] @entity294 :: ('MESH:D003967', 'Disease') :: ['diarrhoea'] @entity645 :: ('57667', 'Species') :: ['HIV'] @entity377 :: ('CHEBI:36976', 'Chemical') :: ['nucleotide']
@entity137 :: (MESH:D064420,Disease) :: ['Adverse drug reactions']
