title: Adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy: synthesis of the literature and clinical implications.
abstract: Adherence to combination antiretroviral therapy has a strong impact on virologic response and emergence of viral resistance. However, monitoring adherence in the clinic is difficult. What a patient says or a clinician believes about a patient's adherence may be misleading. Patients with suboptimal adherence may have reduced or undetectable viral loads. On the other hand, viral load may not decrease in patients with perfect adherence because of pretreatment resistance, poor drug metabolism, or other factors. A multidisciplinary approach involving patients, health care professionals, family, and friends may optimize adherence. This article reviews the literature on adherence to antiretroviral therapy, critiques the various adherence measures used by researchers and clinicians, and discusses the clinical implications of adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Hays
mesh_terms: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016903:Drug Monitoring; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006678:HIV / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D016312:Treatment Refusal; D019562:Viral Load
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents