HIV medicine
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Surrogate markers of HIV disease progression are HIV RNA in plasma viral load (VL) and CD4 cell count (immune function). Despite improved international access to antiretrovirals, surrogate marker diagnostics are not routinely available in resource-limited settings. Therefore, the objective was to assess effects of economic and diagnostic resourcing on patient treatment outcomes. ⋯ Low measures of site resourcing were associated with less favourable patient outcomes, including a 35% increase in disease progression in patients from sites with VL testing less than once per year.