Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40264168›Full record

SynthesisVirology journal2025

Evaluating HIV drug resistance in the middle East and North Africa and its associated factors: a systematic review.

Nastaran Khodadad, Ava Hashempour, Mohamad Matin Karbalaei Ali Nazar, Farzaneh Ghasabi

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Virology journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Nastaran KhodadadHIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Ava HashempourHIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran. thashem@sums.ac.ir.
Mohamad Matin Karbalaei Ali NazarHIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
Farzaneh GhasabiHIV/AIDS Research Center, Institute of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveOne of the obstacles to achieving successful treatment of HIV infections is the development and spread of mutations linked to resistance. Thus, it is important to monitor the prevalence and occurrence of drug resistance in HIV consistently. This study aimed to investigate how drug resistance affects the effectiveness of ART.

methodsThis systematic review focused on surveying ART resistance in both treatment-naïve and treatment-experienced PWH from 2004 to 2024.

resultsOut of 101 potential publications, 41 studies were included in this review. ART-experienced PWH in MENA countries commonly receive a regimen consisting of two NRTI drugs in combination with one NNRTI drug. The most frequent mutations were found in NRTIs (M184V, D67N, V75M, M41L, and T69N), NNRTIs (K103N, K101E, V106A, and G190S), and PIs (M36I and H69K). The ART-experienced groups in Israel and Iran presented the highest rates of resistance, reaching 52.78% and 43.03%, respectively, whereas the ART-naïve group in Turkey presented a resistance rate of 53.57%. The most prevalent HIV-1 subtypes in the region were B, CRF35-AD, CRF01-AE, A1, CR02-AG, C, and D. A high frequency of drug resistance mutations, such as M184V and K103N/S, was observed in the CRF35-AD, A, and C subtypes.

conclusionThis is the first report to provide deep insight into ART resistance patterns in the MENA region among both ART-naïve and ART-experienced PWH. The results revealed a significant occurrence of drug resistance to RTIs, PIs, and INSTIs among both groups. This finding highlights the importance of prescribing the INTIs in native and PWH with resistance to RTIs and/or PIs to increase the chance of response to ART as well as regular monitoring of resistance to ART in MENA countries. This also involves identifying the key factors contributing to drug resistance, including inadequate adherence to ART and a lack of adequate monitoring systems to prevent treatment failure. Since the MENA region is significant as an economic challenge, PWH with poor adherence to ART medication and insufficient monitoring systems may hinder successful infection control; therefore, HIV control strategies may prevent viruses from spreading in other countries. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.

Indexed as

Anti-HIV AgentsDrug Resistance, ViralHIV-1HIV InfectionsAfrica, NorthernHumansMiddle EastMutationPrevalenceAnti-HIV AgentsARTDrug resistanceHIVMENA regionMiddle eastMutationNorth Africa

Identifiers

PMID40264168
PMCPMC12016335

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.