1. Adherence and plasma HIV RNA responses to highly active antiretroviral therapy among HIV--1 infected injection drug users.
- Author
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Wood, Evan, Montaner, Julio S.G., Yip, Benita, Tyndall, Mark W., Schechter, Martin T., O'Shaughnessy, Michael V., and Hogg, Robert S.
- Subjects
ANTIVIRAL agents ,VIRUS disease drug therapy ,HIV-positive persons ,HIV infections ,RNA - Abstract
Background: The benefits of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the treatment of HIV infection are well documented, but concerns regarding access and adherence to HAART are growing. We evaluated virological responses to HAART among HIV-1 infected patients who were injection drug users (IDUs) in a population-based setting where HIV/AIDS care is delivered free of charge. Methods: We evaluated previously untreated HIV-1 infected men and women who initiated HAART between Aug. 1, 1996, and July 31, 2000, and who were followed until Mar. 31, 2002, in a province-wide HIV treatment program. We used Kaplan--Meier methods and Cox proportional hazards regression in our evaluation of time to suppression (i.e., less than 500 copies/mL) and rebound (i.e., 500 copies/mL or more) of plasma HIV-1 RNA, with patients stratified according to whether or not they had a history of injection drug use. Results: Overall, 1422 patients initiated HAART during the study period, of whom 359 (25.2%) were IDUs. In Kaplan--Meier analyses, the cumulative suppression rate at 12 months after initiation of HAART was 70.8% for non-IDUs... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003