Incidence and consistency of antiretroviral use among HIV-infected medicaid beneficiaries with schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the incidence and consistency of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment in the period before the introduction of protease inhibitors among Medicaid beneficiaries in New Jersey who had both the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and schizophrenia.


METHODS
HIV-infected Medicaid beneficiaries were identified using the HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) registries for New Jersey; claims histories were used to identify patients diagnosed with ICD-9-CM schizophrenia and affective psychoses and to examine use of ARV drugs.


RESULTS
Bivariate and multivariate analysis found no difference in the likelihood of receiving ARV drugs between patients with HIV and schizophrenia and HIV-infected patients without schizophrenia. However, once the therapy was initiated, patients with schizophrenia were more consistent users of ARV drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
Results do not indicate that HIV-seropositive (HIV+) patients with schizophrenia are less adherent to HIV therapies than HIV+ patients without schizophrenia. In our study population, consistency of use was actually higher among HIV+ patients with schizophrenia, perhaps because their multiple diagnoses place them under closer medical scrutiny.
Walkup
J
J
Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. walkup@rci.rutgers.edu
Sambamoorthi
U
U
Crystal
S
S
D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000453:epidemiology; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015897:Comorbidity; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance; D015995:Prevalence; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology
D019380:Anti-HIV Agents