Number of daily pills, dosing schedule, self-reported adherence and health status in 2010: A large cross-sectional study of HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy

摘要

Objectives: The aim of the study was to assess whether pill burden is associated with self-reported adherence to current combination antiretroviral regimens and health status in a large sample of unselected and chronically treated HIV-infected patients. Methods: An adherence and health status questionnaire was offered to all patients collecting their drugs between March and May 2010 at our clinic; both parameters were primarily evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Linear correlations were evaluated using Spearman's correlation coefficient. Wilcoxon's rank-sum test and the χ2 test were used to compare quantitative and qualitative variables. The generalized linear model was used in multivariable analyses. Results: Among 2763 subjects on treatment during the study period, 2114 (78.8% male; mean age 46.9±8.84 years) were tested for adherence; 1803 (85.3%) had viral loads 50 HIV-1 RNA copies/mL. After adjusting for age, gender, HIV risk factor, current CD4 count, pill burden and dosing interval, adherence was higher in patients with undetectable HIV RNA (P0.0001) and directly associated with current CD4 count (P=0.029). After adjusting for the same variables, health status was better in patients with undetectable viraemia (P=0.004) and in men who have sex with men (MSM) and heterosexuals compared with injecting drug users and those with other risk factors (P0.0001 for MSM and P=0.008 for heterosexuals); it was also directly associated with current CD4 count (P0.0001) and inversely associated with age (P0.0001) and pill burden (P=0.019). Conclusions: In this highly adherent population, the number of daily pills was related to self-reported health status but not to self-reported adherence, whereas the dosing interval did not influence self-reported adherence or health status.