Patient Related Determinants For Non-Adherance To Antiretroviral Therapy Among Hiv Infected Patients

Abstract

It is estimated that about 4.2 million people live with HIV infection in India. Adherence to ART is an essential component of treatment success. Adherence rates exceeding 95 % are desirable to maximise the benefits of ART. There are limited studies on levels of adherence and determinants of suboptimal adherence to treatment. To identify the patient related determinants for non adherence to ART. Cross sectional descriptive study on 154 HIV infected adults attending the Community Care Centre. Information was collected on a pre-designed schedule by the counselor. Mean duration of ART use was 23.8 months (SD-15.8). 90 % of them had missed doses on two or more times since start of ART. Adherence of > 95 % was noted in only 82 % of users. Reasons for defaulting were health problems (47.5%), financial (22%), side effects of drugs (13.6%). Most of them (92%) received support from family member for ART adherence.