title: HIV-infected pregnant women have greater adherence with antiretroviral drugs than non-pregnant women.
abstract: The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of pregnancy on the level of adherence with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, in a prospective cohort of 72 pregnant women and 79 non-pregnant women. Adherence was measured by pill counting and self-reporting. Women were deemed adherent if 95% or more of all ARV had been taken as prescribed, in two occasions. According to pill counting, 43.1 and 17.7% of pregnant and non-pregnant women, respectively, met the criteria of adherence (P = 0.001); in the postpartum, adherence declined to 20.6% (P = 0.002). In both groups, adherence rates by self-reporting were significantly higher as compared with pill counting (P = 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, age >29 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.58, confidence interval [CI] 95% 0.10-0.75, P = 0.011), mean number of pills/day <6 (OR 2.53, CI 95% 1.07-6.01, P = 0.035), and being pregnant (OR 3.33, CI 95% 1.36-8.13, P = 0.008) were independently associated to greater adherence.
authors.affiliation: Multidisciplinary Group for Infectious Diseases on Pregnancy - NUPAIG, Hospital São Paulo, Brazil. mjose@netpoint.com.br
authors.forename: Maria José Rodrigues
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vaz
authors.forename: Sonia Maria Oliveira
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.forename: Ricardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Palacios
authors.forename: Jorge Figueiredo
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Senise
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lunardi
authors.forename: Abes Mahmed
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Amed
authors.forename: Adauto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castelo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006678:HIV; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016312:Treatment Refusal