Retention in Continuous Care and Sustained Viral Suppression: Examining the Association among Individuals Living with HIV

Objectives: To examine the relationship between retention in continuous care and sustained viral suppression. Methods: The authors retrospectively followed 653 persons who were virally suppressed and seeking care at an infectious disease clinic in Kentucky for an average of 6 years to determine the rates of retention in medical care (≥2 visits separated by ≥3 months within a 12-month period) and sustained viral suppression (<400 copies/mL). A generalized linear mixed model was used to determine an association between retention and suppression over time. Results: Approximately 61% of the study population were retained in continuous care and 75% had sustained viral suppression for all patient-years. Persons retained in care were 3 times the odds of sustaining viral suppression over time (P <.001). Conclusion: Retention is essential to achieving and maintaining viral suppression. Strategies should be set in place that emphasize increasing the rates of retention, which in turn may increase the rates of suppression.