What Influences Long-Term Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy?

In addition to the usual suspects (such as age and substance use), personal life events and changes in the provider/patient relationship also influenced adherence.

High rates of adherence must be maintained for antiretroviral therapy (ART) to be effective over the long term. However, little is known about how a patient's adherence changes over time and what factors influence those changes. To explore these issues, researchers asked participants in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study to complete self-administered adherence questionnaires every 6 months, detailing how many antiretroviral doses they missed in the past month and whether they missed at least two consecutive doses.

A total of 6709 patients (70% men; 82% white; median age, 41) completed at least two questionnaires (median, 8) and were followed for a median of 4.5 years. Most had long-standing HIV infection (median, 8 years), and 65% had undetectable v…

Reviewing Author

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

Keith Henry, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardViiV Advisory Board

Editorial BoardsJAIDS: Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes

What Influences Long-Term Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy?

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Reviewing Author