A comparison of single versus multipletablet regimens in HIV-infected people initiating antiretroviral therapy

• Autor(a) principal: Celline Cardoso Almeida Brasil
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Outros Autores: Juliana Oliveira Costa, Elizabeth Nascimento, Romara Elizeu Amaro Perdigão, Micheline Rosa Silveira, Palmira de Fátima Bonolo, Francisco de Assis Acurcio, Maria Das Graças Braga Ceccato
• Tipo de documento: Artigo de conferência
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UFMG
• Texto Completo: https://doi.org/10.1002/pds.4275; http://hdl.handle.net/1843/46343
• topic: HIV; Terapia antirretroviral; Medicamentos; HIV; Terapia antirretroviral; Medicamentos

Background: The once-daily single-tablet regimen (STR) containing efavirenz, tenofovir and lamivudine is the first choice for HIV-infected people initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART) in Brazil and few studies have examined its influence on treatment and healthrelated characteristics compared to multiple-tablet regimen (MTR). Objectives: To evaluate the differences of antiretroviral therapy as a STR and MTR regarding treatment and health-related characteristics. Methods: Baseline evaluation of a cohort of 184 HIVinfected adults (79% male, mean age 35.9) with six or less months of ART under care in a reference hospital in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Recruitment occurred between Sep/2015 and Aug/2016, and data were obtained through face-to-face interviews. Quality of life (QoL), symptoms of anxiety and depression, health state and adherence were assessed through self-report using validated instruments. A 40-item instrument to be validated during the cohort was used to assess perceived barriers with ART. The regimen used was collected from the Brazilian ART delivery database system (SICLOM). STR and MTR users were compared through non-parametric tests using Stata v.14. Results: A slightly lower proportion of STR versus MTR patients were non-adherent (54% vs 57%) and had adverse effects (85% vs. 88%), anxiety symptoms (36% vs. 41%) and depression symptoms (27% vs. 31%), though the statistical difference was not significant (p > 0.05). The STR group showed a higher QoL in the independence domain (p<0.01) (WHOQoLHIV-bref) and a better self-perception of health (p<0.05) (EQ5D VAS) than MTR group. The MTR group had twice the odds of having difficulties with the treatment (p<0.05). The perceived barriers associated with MTR were “incorporate ART into work routine” (p<0.05), “swallow the pills” (p= 0.05) and “social isolation (p<0.01)”. Conclusions: All the characteristics analyzed in this study tended to be better for patients using STR. Although adherence was not significantly higher in STR group, patients reporting difficulties with treatment had twice the odds of being non-adherent. The results indicate that single-tablet regimens may help patients in the management of ART, reflecting in aspects of daily life activities and self-perception of health.