Understanding the impact of hazardous and harmful use of alcohol and/or other drugs on ARV adherence and disease progression
Date
2015-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Public Library of Science
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.
Description
CITATION: Kader, R., et al. 2015. Understanding the impact of hazardous and harmful use of alcohol and/or other drugs on ARV adherence and disease progression. PLoS ONE, 10(5):1-12, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0125088.
The original publication is available at http://journals.plos.org/plosone
The original publication is available at http://journals.plos.org/plosone
Keywords
Alcohol use, HIV patients, Drug abuse, Unemployment
Citation
Kader, R., et al. 2015. Understanding the impact of hazardous and harmful use of alcohol and/or other drugs on ARV adherence and disease progression. PLoS ONE, 10(5):1-12, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0125088