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Alcohol consumption and antiretroviral adherence among HIV-infected persons with alcohol problems

Jeffrey H Samet1, Nicholas J Horton, Seville Meli

  • 1Clinical Addiction Research and Education (CARE) Unit, Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA. jsamet@bu.edu

Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|April 22, 2004
PubMed

Insights

For HIV patients with alcohol problems, any alcohol use significantly reduces adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Abstinence is linked to better treatment adherence, improving health outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Public Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Addiction Medicine

Background:

  • Alcohol abuse is a known factor linked to poor adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).
  • This study focuses on HIV-infected individuals with a history of alcohol problems, examining varying levels of alcohol consumption's impact on HAART adherence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the relative importance of different levels of alcohol consumption on HAART adherence.
  • To investigate the association between alcohol use patterns and treatment adherence in a specific HIV-positive population.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study surveying 349 HIV-infected persons with a history of alcohol problems over 30 months.
  • Assessed HAART adherence and alcohol consumption (none, moderate, at risk) via interviews.
  • Utilized multivariable longitudinal regression models to analyze the relationship between alcohol consumption and adherence, controlling for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Alcohol consumption was the most significant predictor of HAART adherence (p < 0.0001) in 267 patients on HAART.
  • Recent alcohol abstinence was associated with significantly better adherence compared to moderate or at-risk alcohol usage.
  • Odds ratios indicated substantially higher adherence with abstinence versus at-risk (3.6) or moderate (3.0) use.

Conclusions:

  • Any alcohol consumption among HIV-infected individuals with a history of alcohol problems is linked to poorer HAART adherence.
  • Interventions addressing alcohol use may improve antiretroviral adherence and enhance overall clinical outcomes for this patient group.
Abstract

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