Association between smoking, crack cocaine abuse and the discontinuation of combination antiretroviral therapy in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil

HIV and Substance Use in Latin America: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to explore the interplay between substance use (SU) and HIV in Latin America (LA). Database searches yielded 3481 references; 196 were included. HIV prevalence among people who used substances (PWUS) ranged from 2.8–15.2%. SU definitions were variable throughout studies, and thus data were not easily comparable. In 2019, only 2% of new HIV infections were attributed to injection drug use (IDU) in LA. Factors associated with HIV among PWUS included being female, IDU and homelessness, and PWUS were likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, start antiretroviral treatment late, have poor adherence, have treatment failure, be lost to follow-up, have comorbidities, and experience higher mortality rates and lower quality of life, as has been reported in PLWH with SU in other regions. Five intervention studies were identified, and only one was effective at reducing HIV incidence in PWUS. Interventions in other regions have varying success depending on context-specific characteristics, highlighting the need to conduct more research in the LA region. Though progress has been made in establishing SU as a major concern in people living with HIV (PLWH), much more is yet to be done to reduce the burden of HIV and SU in LA.

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV/AIDS in northeastern Brazil: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nonadherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) may lead to viral replication and development of antiretroviral resistance.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the factors associated with nonadherence to ART among people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLWHA).

DESIGN AND SETTING

Cross-sectional study in a tertiary-level hospital in northeastern Brazil.

METHODS

Intake of less than 90% of the antiretroviral drugs prescribed in the last week prior to the interview was defined as nonadherence. Intake was evaluated using a questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted on the study population, with estimation of the respective odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

The prevalence of nonadherence was 28.4%. Significant associations were found regarding the following variables: age less than 35 years, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, lack of medication and lack of knowledge regarding the patient's HIV status, on the part of the patient's partner or family.

CONCLUSIONS

Encouragement of adherence to antiretroviral therapy is one of the fundamental pillars of treatment for HIV-infected patients. The high proportion of nonadherence (28.4%) and the predictive factors related to this indicate that it is necessary to improve patients' adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

Monitoring self-reported adherence to antiretroviral therapy in public HIV care facilities in Brazil: A national cross-sectional study

INTRODUCTION

Patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is critical for HIV treatment success. Monitoring rates of adherence in public HIV outpatient care facilities can improve outcomes in Brazil where ART is universally available.

METHODS

We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of ART adherence in 2010. Participants were selected using a multistage probability sample. First, HIV outpatient care facilities were stratified according to 7 Organizational Quality Classification (OQC) groups and regions. Second, 1 or 2 facilities were selected per region for each OQC group. Finally, patients were randomly selected at each facility. In a first component, patients were invited to answer to a web-based questionnaire (WebAd-Q), a validated self-reported tool that includes 3 questions on adherence to ART in the past 7 days (time scheduling-timing, drug regimen-medication, and pill counts-dose), herein named indicators of potential nonadherence (IPN). In addition, a subsample of participants were interviewed in order to obtain further data on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (second component). The proportion of each IPN was estimated using weighted data to account for the sampling design with 95% confidence interval (CI) and descriptive analysis was carried out.

RESULTS

Fifty-five facilities were chosen and 2424 patients completed the WebAd-Q in the first component of the study, while 598 patients were interviewed for the second component. The weighted proportions of the IPN were 50.9%, 31.8%, and 19.5%, for timing, medication, and dose, respectively, while11.7% had all 3 indicators, varying from 5.9% in the Southeast and 21.9% in the Northeast regions. Overall, 61.1% of the patients had at least 1 IPN (95% CI: 58.5-63.7%). Patients reporting depression symptoms, illicit drug use and those who missed medical appointments had worse nonadherence outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, there was a high proportion of all indicators IPN and timing was the main component associated with low adherence. Although these indicators may not necessarily indicate individual nonadherence, they represent a worrisome scenario in the public Brazilian HIV care facilities. On a routine basis, these facilities can identify gaps in providing counseling and ART orientation to their clientele and develop innovative strategies to prevent nonadherence.

The female crack users: Higher rates of social vulnerability in Brazil

Female crack users who sought treatment are a hard to find part of the population. We studied sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of crack users undergoing treatment in psychosocial care centers for alcohol and other drugs in six Brazilian cities. We carried out a cross-sectional study of 816 crack users and collected data with the Addiction Severity Index. Women were more likely to be in vulnerable situations: had worst levels of education, were not receiving money enough to their basic needs; more likely to be HIV positive (10.1%), to report sexual abuse (34%), and to be separated from their children (20%).

Challenges in managing HIV in people who use drugs

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

HIV management in people who use drugs (PWUD) is typically complex and challenging due to the presence of multiple medical and psychiatric comorbidities as well as social, physical, economic and legal factors that often disrupt the HIV continuum of care. In this review, we describe the individual, health systems and societal barriers to HIV treatment access and care retention for PWUD. In addition, the clinical management of HIV-infected PWUD is often complicated by the presence of multiple infectious and noninfectious comorbidities.

RECENT FINDINGS

Improved HIV treatment outcomes can be enhanced through improved testing and linkage strategies along with better treatment retention and antiretroviral (ART) adherence. Improved ART adherence can be achieved through the provision of opioid substitution therapy (OST), directly administered ART (DAART) and integration of ART with OST services. Recent advances with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus (HCV) have shown superior outcomes than interferon-based regimes in HIV-HCV coinfected patients. Newer diagnostic technologies for tuberculosis (TB) hold promise for earlier diagnosis for PWUD coinfected with TB, and TB treatment outcomes are improved through combination with OST.

SUMMARY

HIV-infected PWUDs are a key population who frequently experience suboptimal outcomes along the HIV continuum of care. A comprehensive strategy that encompasses evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions that target the individual, family, healthcare system, legal and societal structure is required to ensure greater participation and success in HIV treatment and care.