title: Anxiety and depression symptoms as risk factors for non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Brazil.
abstract: Depression and anxiety are common among HIV-infected people and rank among the strongest predictors of non-adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). This longitudinal study aimed to assess whether symptoms of anxiety and depression are predictors of non-adherence among patients initiating ART at two public referral centers (n = 293) in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Prevalence of severe anxiety and depression symptoms before starting ART was 12.6% and 5.8%, respectively. Severe anxiety was a predictor of non-adherence to ART during follow-up period (RH = 1.87; 95% CI = 1.14-3.06) adjusted for low education, unemployment, alcohol use in the last month and symptoms of AIDS; while a history of injection drug use had borderline statistical significance with non-adherence. These findings suggest that using a brief screening procedure to assess anxiety and depression symptoms before initiating ART help identify individuals for interventions to improve adherence and quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena 190, Bairro Santa Efigênia, CEP 30130-100, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. lorenza@medicina.ufmg.br
authors.forename: Lorenza Nogueira
authors.initials: LN
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Mark Drew Crosland
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Guimarães
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Remien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001938:Brazil; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents