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Malawi Study Investigates Causes of Mortality Among Patients Enrolled on ART |
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Recent studies have shown that up to 26% of patients die in the first year of antiretroviral treatment (ART), with the majority of deaths occurring after only a few months. A TREAT TB-supported study was recently launched in Malawi through funding provided by USAID Malawi to assess the prevalence of TB and other opportunistic infections (OIs) in patients presenting with weight loss and fever who are enrolled on ART. The study aims to examine the associations of microbiologically proven TB or other OIs with various demographic, clinical, haematological or radiographic findings, and to interpret the associations with regard to the rationale for empiric treatment of TB among certain categories of patients, and for further investigation and/or treatment of other OIs. The study is being carried out in three sites in southern Malawi. Laboratory support is being provided by the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Partnership in Blantyre. Recruitment of study subjects began in early February 2010.
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