Eurasian Health Journal
ISSN 1694-8882 / e-ISSN 1694-8890
Submit an article
Vol. 18, No. 2, 2026 / Pages 108-117

HIV-positive men: Treatment response and survival on antiretroviral therapy

Zainab Shabdan kyzy*Isomidin Omonov

zainabshabdankyzy@gmail.com

Received 15.01.2026
Revised 24.04.2026
Accepted 29.05.2026

Abstract

The relevance of the study is determined by the established prevalence of issues among adult men living with human immunodeficiency virus in key populations, as well as the higher risk of treatment failure observed among men in the general population. The objective of this study was a survival evaluation of heterosexual men and men who have sex with men. 4,304 HIV-positive adult males who acquired human immunodeficiency virus via sexual transmission have been analysed: 3,651 heterosexuals and 653 men, who have sex with men, with people who inject drugs (3,766) excluded. CD4 cell count and viral load results were used to evaluate effectiveness, with additional data on adherence. As compared to men who have sex with men (MSM) (74.9%), heterosexuals signed up for clinical observation more often (in 61.3% of all cases). The general male population has been lost to follow-up and diagnosed at advanced stages of human immunodeficiency virus more often – 80.2% of men who have sex with men who initiated antiretroviral therapy in 2023-2026 were diagnosed on the first stage of the disease, as opposed to 60.1% of heterosexuals in the same category. In the last 3 years virological (80.7% and 66.1% of MSM and heterosexuals with undetectable viral load) and immunological effectiveness of heterosexual males (90.9% vs.77.5% of CD4 cell count of greater than 200 respectively) have been inferior to men who have sex with men. The Kaplan Meier curve showed a higher probability of survival among men who have sex with men. This research brings an insight to social support and higher awareness among men who have sex with men may explain their better results

Keywords

heterosexual men; therapy effectiveness; men who have sex with men; viral load suppression; survival analysis

Suggested citation

APA Style
Shabdan kyzy, Z. & Omonov, I. (2026). HIV-positive men: Treatment response and survival on antiretroviral therapy. Eurasian Health Journal, 18(2), 108-117. https://doi.org/10.54890/1694-8882-2026-2-108
Copied!
Vancouver Style
Shabdan kyzy, Z., Omonov, I.. HIV-positive men: Treatment response and survival on antiretroviral therapy. Eurasian Health J. 2026;18(2):108-17. https://doi.org/10.54890/1694-8882-2026-2-108
Copied!

References

  1. UNAIDS. AIDS, crisis and the power to transform: UNAIDS Global AIDS update 2025. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2025. 120 P.
  2. Men who have sex with men [Internet]. 2023 [cited 2026 April 2]. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/global-hiv-hepatitis-and-stis-programmes/populations/men-who-have-sex-with-men
  3. Cahill S, Grasso C, Keuroghlian AS, Sciortino C, Mayer KH. Sexual and gender minority health in the COVID-19 pandemic: Why data collection and combatting discrimination matter now more than ever. Am J Public Health. 2020;110(9):1360–1. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305829
  4. Republican centre for the control of blood-borne viral hepatitis and HIV. Digital tracking system reports [Internet]. 2026 [cited 2026 April 2]. Available from: https://aidscentre.kg
  5. Jumalieva CK, Solpieva AS, Usmanova NR, Nadol P, Sheralieva BA, Yanbukhtina LF, et al. Biobehavioral study of HIV infection among people who inject drugs and men who have sex with men in the Kyrgyz Republic, 2021. Bishkek: Republican Centre for the Control of Blood-Borne Viral Hepatitis and HIV; 2021. 100 P.
  6. Shabdan kyzy Z, Omonov IK, Dzhumagulova AS. The gender-specific survival rates among people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in the Kyrgyz Republic. In: Proceedings of the 62nd international scientific and practical conference “KGMA science days – 2025”. Bishkek: Kyrgyz State Medical Academy; 2025. 115–6.
  7. Kirillova I, Orhun NM. Trends in HIV/AIDS cases in Kyrgyzstan between 2012 and 2022: An ecological study. HIV Med. 2025;26(9):1445–56. DOI: 10.1111/hiv.70078
  8. Gruszczyńska E, Rzeszutek M. HIV/AIDS stigma accumulation among people living with HIV: A role of general and relative minority status. Sci Rep. 2023;13:10709. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37948-7
  9. Jangu NW, Omorodion FI, Windsor weSpeak Team. HIV vulnerability and resilience among heterosexual African, Caribbean and Black (ACB) men in Windsor, Ontario: A perspective of service providers. In: Proceedings of the Canadian association for HIV research (CAHR) conference. Canada: CAHR; 2020.
  10. Kazuma-Matululu T, Nyondo-Mipando AL. “Men are scared that others will know and will discriminate against them so they would rather not start treatment”: Perceptions of heterosexual men on HIV-related stigma in HIV services in Blantyre, Malawi. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2021;20. DOI: 10.1177/23259582211059921
  11. Liu J, Wang L, Hou Y, Zhao Y, Dou Z, Ma Y, et al. Immune restoration in HIV-1-infected patients after 12 years of antiretroviral therapy: A real-world observational study. Emerg Microbes Infect. 2020;9(1):2550–61. DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2020.1840928
  12. A Working group of the NIH office of AIDS research advisory council. Guidelines for the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections in adults and adolescents with HIV. Rockville (MD): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2024. 742 P.
  13. Gomes AP, Costa B, Marques R, Nunes V, Coelho C. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis: Practical insights for clinicians. Acta Med Port. 2024;37(4):280–5. DOI: 10.20344/amp.21080
  14. Declaration of Helsinki: Medical research involving human participants [Internet]. 2013 [cited 2026 April 2]. Available from: https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/
  15. Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, testing, treatment, service delivery and monitoring: Recommendations for a public health approach [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2026 April 2]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240031593
  16. Herbert S, Puhr R, Petoumenos K, Lewis DA, Varma R, Couldwell DL, et al. Characteristics of heterosexually-acquired compared to homosexually-acquired HIV and implications for clinical practice: Results from the Australian HIV Observational Database. AIDS Care. 2021;34(5):626–32. DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1884181
  17. Nafisah L, Riono P, Muhaimin T. Do stigma and disclosure of HIV status are associated with adherence to antiretroviral therapy among men who have sex with men? HIV & AIDS Rev. 2020;19(4):244–51. DOI: 10.5114/hivar.2020.101594
  18. Order of the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic No. 806 of November 1, 2016 and No. 1081. On Conducting Rapid Testing for HIV Infection of Key Population Groups Based on NGOs [Internet]. 2017 November 28 [cited 2026 April 2]. Available from: https://www.aph.org.ua/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Kyrgystan_AnalysisOfHIVDiagnostics.pdf
  19. Tao Y, Xiao X, Zhang C, Xie Y, Wang H. Prevalence of delayed antiretroviral therapy initiation among people living with HIV: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2023;18(10):e0286476. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0286476
  20. Sultangaziev A, Novikova E, Mikhailov A. Analysis of HIV diagnosis and treatment monitoring in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2020-2021. Bishkek: Association “Partner Network”; 2022. 43 P.
  21. MacCarthy S, Brignol S, Reddy M, Nunn A, Dourado I. Making the invisible, visible: A cross-sectional study of late presentation to HIV/AIDS services among men who have sex with men from a large urban centre of Brazil. BMC Public Health. 2014;14:1313. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-1313
  22. World Health Organization. Guidance on handling interruptions in antiretroviral treatment due to HIV service disruptions, drug shortages, or stockouts [Internet]. 2025 [cited 2025 November 6]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/guidance-on-handling-interruptions-in-antiretroviral-treatment-due-to-hiv-service-disruptions--drug-shortages--or-stockouts
  23. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NIH). Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in adults and adolescents with HIV [Internet]. [cited 2025 November 6]. Available from: https://clinicalinfo.hiv.gov/en/guidelines/hiv-clinical-guidelines-adult-and-adolescent-arv/discontinuation-or-interruption-antiretroviral-therapy
  24. Smiley CL, Rebeiro PF, Cesar C, Belaunzarán-Zamudio PF, Crabtree-Ramírez B, Padgett D, et al. Estimated life expectancy gains with antiretroviral therapy among adults with HIV in Latin America and the Caribbean: A multisite retrospective cohort study. Lancet HIV. 2021;8(5):e266–73. DOI: 10.1016/S2352-3018(20)30358-1
  25. Coelho LE, Torres TS, Jalil EM, Cardoso SW, Moreira RI, Calvet GA, et al. Mortality rates by gender and sexual orientation reveal a disproportionally high mortality among cisgender men of unknown sexual orientation and men who have sex with women in a cohort of people living with HIV in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Braz J Infect Dis. 2023;27(2):102740. DOI: 10.1016/j.bjid.2023.102740
  26. Yuan D, Liu M, Jia P, Li Y, Huang Y, Ye L, et al. Prevalence and determinants of virological failure, genetic diversity and drug resistance among people living with HIV in a minority area in China: A population-based study. BMC Infect Dis. 2020;20:443. DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05124-1).
  27. Ge Y, Zhou Y, Liu Y, Lu J, Qiu T, Shi LE, et al. Immune reconstitution efficacy after combination antiretroviral therapy in male HIV-1 infected patients with homosexual and heterosexual transmission. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 2023;39(7):e2214250. DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2023.2214250