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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2014 Sep-Oct;13(5):450-3.
doi: 10.1177/2325957413491430. Epub 2013 Jun 21.

Effects of Lifetime History of Use of Problematic Alcohol on HIV Medication Adherence

Aman Sharma  1 , Ravinder Kaur Sachdeva  2 , Mahendra Kumar  3 , Ritu Nehra  4 , Monika Nakra  2 , Deborah Jones  5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of Lifetime History of Use of Problematic Alcohol on HIV Medication Adherence

Aman Sharma et al. J Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care. 2014 Sep-Oct.

Abstract

Background: The effects of previous alcohol abuse on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence have been less studied.

Materials and methodology: Participants were randomized to a 3-month group intervention or an individual-enhanced standard-of-care condition and assessed over 6 months. Individual assessment at baseline, 3, and 6 months was done; interviews included lifetime history of problematic alcohol use.

Results: A total of 80 HIV-positive individuals on ART were recruited. In all, 35% of participants reported a history of problematic alcohol use, 37% had a detectable viral load, 55% were nonadherent, and 24% reporting skipping medication in the previous 3 months. There was no association between a history of problematic use and an adherence at any time point, that is, at baseline (t = -.7, P = .47), midpoint (t = -.39, P = .69), and 6-month follow-up (t = -1.2, P = .23).

Conclusion: Results suggest that a history of problematic alcohol use may not impact ART adherence.

Keywords: HIV; lifetime history; problematic alcohol.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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