Effect of anxiety symptoms on adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy in HIV-infected women.

To the Editor: Psychiatric comorbidities are known to impair adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected individuals and to affect women and men differently. To date, it is still controversial whether women are at higher risk of HIV progression or nonadherence to HAART. The VESPA survey, which enrolled a French representative sample of HIV-infected patients, was used here to assess whether psychiatric disorders affect HAART adherence differently in men and women.