Relationship between viral load and self-report measures of medication adherence among youth with perinatal HIV infection

Abstract

Poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) contributes to disease progression and emergence of drug-resistant HIV in youth with perinatally acquired HIV infection (PHIV +), necessitating reliable measures of adherence. Although electronic monitoring devices have often been considered the gold-standard assessment in HIV research, they are costly, can overestimate nonadherence and are not practical for routine care. Thus, the development of valid, easily administered self-report adherence measures is crucial for adherence monitoring. PHIV+youth aged 7–16 (n = 289) and their caregivers, enrolled in a multisite cohort study, were interviewed to assess several reported indicators of adherence. HIV-1 RNA viral load (VL) was dichotomized into >/≤400 copies/mL. Lower adherence was significantly associated with VL >400 copies/mL across most indicators, including ≥1 missed dose in past seven days [youth report: OR = 2.78 (95% CI, 1.46–5.27)]. Caregiver and combined youth/caregiver reports yielded similar results. Within-rater agreement between various adherence indicators was high for both youth and caregivers. Inter-rater agreement on adherence was moderate across most indicators. Age ≥13 years and living with biological mother or relative were associated with VL >400 copies/mL. Findings support the validity of caregiver and youth adherence reports and identify youth at risk of poor adherence.

Keywords:

• HIV
• adherence
• antiretroviral
• pediatric

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with co-funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, through cooperative agreements with the Harvard University School of Public Health (U01 HD0522102–04) and the Tulane University School of Medicine (U01 HD 052104–01).

Notes

1. Total of missed doses for all medications. This variable was dichotomized due to the large number of respondents reporting 100% adherence in the past seven days.