OBJECTIVES : The field of HIV treatment has witnessed significant advances in recent years. The objective of this study was to describe current HIV/AIDS treatment in China in the context of recent clinical advances.

METHODS : We conducted a survey of a panel of HIV specialists from two metropolitan cities and four provinces in China. To protect individual patients’ identities, the panel of 35 clinical experts were asked to complete a written questionnaire regarding the typical HIV patient profile and antiretroviral treatment in their local centers for disease control (CDC) or hospitals.

RESULTS : 78.11% of patients with HIV were male, and 39.48% of patients were unmarried. Most patients were between 19-50 years old. 75.26% of patients were diagnosed in CDCs; the remaining patients were diagnosed in hospitals (28.26%). The most common HIV transmission routes were heterosexual transmission (39.52%), homosexual transmission (36.73%) and blood transfusion (16.16%). 36.84% of patients presented with AIDS symptoms at their first outpatient visit, and 43.14% of HIV patients received antiretroviral treatment elsewhere before their initial outpatient visit. 39% of patients with HIV were reported to have progressed to AIDS despite treatment. TDF+3TC+EFV was the most common treatment (57%), followed by LPV/r+TDF+3TC (22%) and AZT+3TC+EFV (12%). The average duration of the treatment was 57 months, and 86.61% of patients completed at least 1-year of treatment. 12.53% of patients failed 1st line treatment. 33.64% of failures were due to poor compliance while 15.03% were due to AEs. The average hospitalization duration was 19 days. The annual mortality rate of HIV/AIDS patients was 4.05%.

CONCLUSIONS : In China, HIV patients’ adherence to antiviral therapy was reasonably good for the first year of treatment but deteriorated quickly after the first year due to adverse events and poor efficacy. The results showed the need for more effective treatment with better outcomes and AE profiles.