No room for complacency about adherence to antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Medication adherence is essential to successful treatment of HIV/AIDS. Maintaining high adherence will likely prove a major challenge in Africa -- just as it has in developed nations. Despite early reports suggesting that adherence would not pose a major barrier to treatment success, more recent research shows that adherence rates in Africa are quite variable and often poor. Given the large number of patients whose disease will progress if adherence is suboptimal, research is urgently needed to determine patient-level behavioral barriers to adherence and the most effective and appropriate methods for assessing adherence in African cohorts.
Gill
Christopher J
CJ
Center for International Health and Development, Department of International Health, Boston University School of Public Health, MA 02118, USA. cgill@bu.edu
Hamer
Davidson H
DH
Simon
Jonathon L
JL
Thea
Donald M
DM
Sabin
Lora L
LL
D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance