Objective: To estimate the prevalence of delayed- initiation (DI) of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people with HIV attended at the Ministry of Health (SS, for its initials in Spanish) in Mexico, and to describe its behavior over time (2008-2013) and differences by gender and age.
Materials and methods: Descriptive and sectional study of people entering ART in the period 2008-2013 in the SS. The prevalence of DI ART (CD4+ <200 cells/ml) was estimated and differences according to sex and age were analyzed.
Results: The DI ART prevalence was 49%, having decreased 10% in the period. In men was 4.8% and 24.5% in women (p<0.01). The 15 to 29 years group also showed a decrease.
Conclusions: Despite the decrease in ART DI prevalence, it still remains high. It is necessary to generate comprehensive screening strategies with multisectoral participation.