Adherence and Virologic Suppression in Women on Antiretroviral Therapy in Johannesburg
Author Information
Author(s): Ziad El-Khatib, Anna Mia Ekstrom, Ashraf Coovadia, Elaine J Abrams, Max Petzold, David Katzenstein, Lynn Morris, Louise Kuhn
Primary Institution: Karolinska Institutet
Hypothesis
What are the risk factors for incomplete adherence among HIV-infected women initiating antiretroviral therapy?
Conclusion
Women on NNRTI-based therapy can achieve good virologic response, but those with less education and social support may need extra help to stay adherent.
Supporting Evidence
- 53% of women were under 30 years of age.
- 37% of women had incomplete adherence at one or more visits.
- 7% of women had a viral load greater than 400 copies/ml at 24 weeks.
- Adherence levels below 80% were significantly associated with viremia.
- Women exposed to sdNVP had a higher risk of virologic failure with adherence below 95%.
Takeaway
This study shows that women taking HIV medicine need to remember to take their pills, and those who have less help and education might forget more often.
Methodology
A cohort of 154 women was followed for 24 weeks, with adherence assessed through pill counts and virologic outcomes measured.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to the study being conducted in a clinical research setting with dedicated adherence support.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size and focused only on a short follow-up period.
Participant Demographics
Most participants were South African women, with 53% under 30 years old, 63% having less than 11 years of schooling, and 69% unemployed.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.01
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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