ARV toxicity prevalence
Export Indicator
This indicator measures the incidence of serious ARV toxicities among ART patients.
- As use of ARVs is scaled up, people living with HIV have the potential for prolonged exposure to ARVs and the potential to experience ARV-related toxicity.
- ARV-related toxicities are some of the most common reasons reported for ART non-adherence, treatment discontinuation, or substitution of drugs.
- Information on toxicity prevalence can inform national guidelines and efforts to prevent and limit drug toxicity.
Number of ART patients who have stopped treatment or switched regimen due to toxicity in the reporting period
Number of ART patients in the reporting period
For the numerator and denominator. Programme records (ART register, cohort reporting forms, patient records)
"Treatment limiting" toxicity is defined as follows: A serious adverse drug reaction that results in drug discontinuation or substitution. In addition, any reaction that leads to treatment interruption or requires changing the drug or regimen because of an adverse drug reaction is also considered a serious adverse drug reaction (1).
(1) WHO implementation tool for monitoring the toxicity of new antiretroviral and antiviral medicines in HIV and viral hepatitis programmes. Geneva: WHO; 2018 (http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/documents/s23488en/s23488en.pdf).
- Gender (male, female, transgender)
- Age (<15, 15+)
- Key populations (men who have sex with men, people living in prisons and other closed settings, people who inject drugs, sex workers, transgender people)
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
WHO Strategic Information Guidelines, 2020 (https://indicatorregistry.unaids.org/sites/default/files/9789240000735-eng.pdf)