Understanding the Impact of Hazardous and Harmful Use of Alcohol and/or Other Drugs on ARV Adherence and Disease Progression.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 25933422.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0125088 and PMC identifier 4416796.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to understand the impact of hazardous and harmful use of alcohol and/or other drugs on ARV adherence and disease progression among HIV patients. A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 1503 patients attending HIV clinics in Cape Town, South Africa were screened for problematic substance use. A sub-sample of 607 patients (303 patients who screened positive for problematic substance use and 304 who did not) participated in this study. Hazardous or harmful alcohol use and problematic drug use predicted missing and stopping ARVs which, in turn, was associated with a decrease in CD4 counts and more rapid HIV-disease progression and poorer health outcomes in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The findings of this study underscore the need for an integrated approach to managing substance-use disorders in PLWHA.
Medical subject headings
- Alcohol Drinking
- Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active
- Disease Progression
- HIV Infections
- Medication Adherence
- Substance-Related Disorders