Introduction The objective of the study was to identify and analyse the sociodemographic, epidemiological, clinical and laboratory factors associated with treatment abandonment and follow-up among PLHA.

Methods This is a retrospective case control study of a sample of medical records of adult patients with HIV who use a referral centre for STD in municipality of Campinas-SP, Brazil. Cases were patients without antiretroviral withdrawal at the pharmacy for 365 days or more, obtained from the Logistic Control System of Medicines in July 2015, (n=50). For controls group, 100 adult patients adhering to ART were randomly selected for 365, and 58 meet the criteria, from March 2014 to March 2015. After the univariate analysis of the data, a multiple logistic regression model was adjusted considering cases, controls and covariates of interest.

Results The variables that favoured the abandonment of follow-up and treatment were: black/brown referred colour (OR=6.54, 95% CI: 1.48–28.88), being unemployed (OR=6.38, 95% CI: 1.61–25.35), being heterosexual (OR=6.94, 95% CI: 1.18 40.97) and being smoker (OR=10.39, 95% CI: 2.59–41.69). Higher education (OR=0.05, 95% CI: 0.00–0.46) and to be attended by multi professional team (OR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.04–0.96) appeared as protective factors of abandonment.

Conclusion The abandonment of follow-up and treatment among the patients from STD/HIV referred centre in Campinas were positively associated with socioeconomic precariousness. Access to the multiprofessional team was a protective factor to prevent abandonment of ART in the study population.