OBJECTIVETo understand the prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance and its main factors in AIDS patients receiving to HAART in Zhecheng county, Henan province.

METHODSBy cross-sectional survey, 378 AIDS patients who had received the national free antiretroviral therapy from July 2003 to March 2009 in Zhecheng county of Henan were selected. All recruits were interviewed and blood samples were collected. HIV-1 viral loads were measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction, HIV genotypic resistance was determined by an in-house polymerase chain reaction to amplify the HIV-1 pol gene region.

RESULTSAmong 378 subjects receiving antiretroviral therapy, the prevalence of successful viral suppression was 42.9% (162/378), and HIV-1 drug resistance was detected in 47.1% (178/378) patients. The rate of resistance-associated mutations to non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs), nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs) was 46.6% (176/378), 37.8% (143/378) and 1.9% (7/378), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the main risk factors associated with the prevalence of drug resistance included drug non-adherence (ratio of on-time drug intake in the past month < 90%:≥ 90% = 64.5% (40/62):43.7% (138/316), OR = 2.3, 95%CI: 1.3 - 4.1), and initiation of anti-retroviral therapy (ART) with didanosine (DDI) (ART with DDI:ART with lamivudine (3TC) = 53.3% (137/257):33.9% (41/121), OR = 2.3, 95%CI = 1.1 - 4.5).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of HIV-1 drug resistance among ART patients in Zhecheng county of Henan was high. Drug non-adherence and initiation of ART with DDI were the main factors of drug resistance.