Compliance with AZT treatment regimen of HIV-seropositive injection drug users: a neglected issue

R C Freeman1, G M Rodriguez, J F French

  • 1Division of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Addiction Services, New Jersey State Department of Health, USA.

Although treatment with zidovudine (AZT) is now recommended for asymptomatic and symptomatic HIV-infected persons with CD4+ cell counts of 0.20 to 0.50 x 10(9)/L and under, data gathered from a small convenience sample of current and former injection drug users with AIDS in the New York City metropolitan region suggest that noncompliance with HIV/AIDS-related therapeutic regimen may be common in this population. This paper enumerates the reasons for noncompliance offered by these informants, reviews the general literature on treatment compliance to identify additional potential reasons for non-adherence to AZT treatment regimen, and outlines some suggestions for future research into this important issue that may prompt changes in the antiviral delivery system.

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