The Cape Town AIDS Cohort (CTAC) is one of the largest sub-Saharan African HIV cohort studies. It comprises patients referred for treatment and care from a wide range of primary health care facilities in Cape Town to the adult HIV clinics at Groote Schuur and New Somerset (NSH) hospitals, since ...
Before antiretroviral therapy, the clinical management of HIV infected patients presenting to these two clinics was largely based on prevention and treatment of HIV-associated opportunistic infections. As ART was not provided in the public sector, a limited number of the CTAC patients accessed Highly Active Antiretroviral Treatment (HAART) through participation in phase III multi-centre clinical trials conducted since 1996, including regimens containing one, two, three or four drugs. The clinical trials were conducted in the NSH's HIV Clinical Research Centre, and later in the DTHC.
The more recent introduction of ART through community trials in Gugulethu and Masiphumelele townships has provided broader information on the impact of ART on disease progression. These patients' data are in the process of being included as integral part of the CTAC.
Many published studies have been conducted based on CTAC data. Early studies included the assessment of risk factors, prognosis and prevention of tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals, the incidence and prevention of other opportunistic infections, and impact of HIV on quality of life. More recently, studies exploring low-cost strategies for monitoring patients on antiretroviral therapy, investigating monitoring and adherence to therapy, assessing the optimal timing and the consequent cost-effectiveness implications of therapy initiation in resource-limited settings have been performed.
