# Incidence of loss to follow-up and associated factors among mothers on antiretroviral therapy in the context of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in two health districts of Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso

## TL;DR

This study examines why some mothers in Burkina Faso stop following up on HIV treatment, finding that younger age and rural residence are linked to higher dropout rates.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific demographic factors associated with loss to follow-up in an HIV elimination program in Burkina Faso.

## Key findings

- The incidence of loss to follow-up was 22.9 per 100 person-years.
- Younger age was associated with a higher risk of loss to follow-up.
- Urban residence was linked to a lower risk of loss to follow-up compared to rural residence.

## Abstract

Since 2017, Burkina Faso has rolled out a plan to eliminate vertical transmission of HIV (eMTCT). Elimination will only be achieved when mothers have regular follow-up and good compliance with antiretroviral therapy (ART). The aim of this article is to study the incidence and associated factors for loss to follow-up (LTFU ), in women living with HIV (WLHIV) monitored as part of the eMTCT.

This study consisted of a retrospective analysis of routinely collected data from pregnant women who were screened and initiated ART in the Do and Dafra health districts of Bobo-Dioulasso between 2017 and 2020 as part of the eMTCT. The study ran from May 2023 to March 2024. The Kaplan-Meier model was used to estimate the rate of LTFU; the Cox model was used for identification of factors associated with LTFU and verification of Kaplan-Meier results.

Three hundred and four newly diagnosed pregnant WLHIV were included in this study. The median age of the mothers was 30 [24; 36] years. The incidence of LTFU was 22.9 per 100 person-years. Younger age (HR = 2.40; 95%CI: 1.37–4.20) was associated with a higher incidence of LTFU, whereas urban residence (HR = 0.57; 95%CI: 0.39–0.85), in contrast to rural residence, was associated with a lower incidence of LTFU.

The study showed a high incidence of LTFU, associated with younger age and rural residence, in the eMTCT programme in Burkina Faso.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-025-03658-7.