Hyponatremia, hypochloremia, and hypoalbuminemia predict an increased risk of mortality during the first year of antiretroviral therapy among HIV-infected Zambian and Kenyan women.

Early mortality rates after initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) are high in sub-Saharan Africa. We examined whether serum chemistries at ART initiation predicted mortality among HIV-infected women. From May 2005 to January 2007, we enrolled women initiating ART in a prospective cohort study in Zambia and Kenya.

Site factors may be more important than participant factors in explaining HIV test acceptance in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programme in Kenya, 2005.

Objective: To determine the role of participant factors on the acceptance of a Prevention-of-Mother-to-Child (PMTCT) HIV test programme in a situation with an opt-out testing strategy.

Methods: We analysed antenatal clinic (ANC) HIV sentinel surveillance data. All 43 sites in the 2005 round of Kenya's ANC surveillance offered opt-out PMTCT services and recorded if women were offered PMTCT HIV testing and whether they accepted or refused.