Failure to maintain long-term adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy: the role of lipodystrophy

Ségolène Duran, Marianne Savsa, Bruno Spire, Valérie Cailleton, Alain Sobel, Patrizia Carrieri, Dominique Salmon, Jean-Paul Moatti, Catherine Leport and the APROCO study group*

AIDS 2001;15: 2441-2444

In a sample of 277 patients included in the French APROCO cohort study who were initially adherent at follow-up visit 4 months after initiation of a protease inhibitor-containing regimen, 76.4% self-reported at least one lipodystrophy-related symptom and 30.0% failed to maintain adherence behaviour 20 months after enrolment. After multiple adjustment for other related factors, such as younger age, alcohol consumption and poor housing conditions, the number of self-reported lipodystrophy symptoms was independently associated with adherence failure.

Keywords: HIV; HAART; adherence; lipodystrophy