BACKGROUND The introduction of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has brought a remarkable reduction in HIV-related mortality and morbidity both in adults and children living with HIV/AIDS. Adherence to ART is the key to the successful treatment of patients as well as containment of drug resistance. Studies based on caregivers' report have shown that adherence to ART among children is generally good....

INTRODUCTION The MAINTAIN study is an on-going RCT comparing high-dose micronutrient and anti-oxidant supplementation versus recommended daily allowance (RDA) vitamins in slowing HIV immune deficiency progression in ART-naïve people with HIV infection. OBJECTIVE We planned analysis of the first 127 participants to determine the baseline prevalence of serum micronutrient deficiencies and corre...

Prescription or pill-based methods for estimating adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), pharmacy adherence measures (PAMs), are objective estimates calculated from routinely collected pharmacy data. We conducted a literature review to evaluate PAMs, including their association with virological and other clinical outcomes, their efficacy compared with other adherence measures, and factors t...

BACKGROUND Although it is generally acknowledged that electronic monitoring of adherence to treatment improves blood pressure (BP) control by increasing patients' awareness to their treatment, little information is available on the long-term effect of this intervention. METHODS In this observational study among a total of 470 patients with mild-to-moderate hypertension, adherence was measured...

BACKGROUND Maintaining treatment adherence among the growing number of patients receiving antiretroviral treatment in Africa is a dramatic challenge. The objective of our study was to explore the results of a computerized pill count method and to test the validity, sensitivity, and specificity of this method with respect to viral load measurement in an African setting. METHODS We performed a ...

INTRODUCTION A better understanding of pediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in sub-Saharan Africa is necessary to develop interventions to sustain high levels of adherence. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Adherence among 96 HIV-infected Zambian children (median age 6, interquartile range [IQR] 2,9) initiating fixed-dose combination ART was measured prospectively (median 23 months; ...

BACKGROUND Despite the importance of patients' adherence to their drug treatments for achieving desired therapeutic goals and the proven role 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A inhibitors (statins) for the health status of patients with cardiovascular diseases, there is not enough information regarding diabetic patients' adherence to statin therapy in developing countries. In this clinical s...

BACKGROUND Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with higher HIV incidence, reduced condom use, and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy and other medications. IPV may also affect adherence to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). METHODS We analyzed data from 1785 HIV-uninfected women enrolled in a clinical trial of PrEP among African HIV serodiscordant couples. Experience of verbal, ...

BACKGROUND Malawi's national antiretroviral therapy program provides atazanavir/ritonavir-based second line regimens which cause concentration-dependent rise in indirect bilirubin. We sought to determine if elevated bilirubin, as a surrogate of atazanavir/ritonavir adherence, can aid in the evaluation of second line virological failure in Malawi. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study o...

BACKGROUND Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is available as a daily pill for preventing infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Innovative methods of administering PrEP systemically or topically are being discussed and developed. OBJECTIVE The objective of our study was to assess attitudes toward different experimental modalities of PrEP administration. METHODS From April to Ju...