Virological failure in HIV-naïve patients with antiretroviral therapy: A perspective from pharmacological variables

Abstract

Introduction: Highly active antiretroviral therapy has been shown to improve long-term survival in patients with HIV. However, a considerable proportion of patients experience virologic failure during treatment.

Objective: To determine the relationship between polypharmacy, treatment changes, nonadherence, and failure to claim medication, and virologic failure in HIV patients undergoing antiretroviral therapy.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional observational study with multivariate analysis in people with HIV undergoing antiretroviral treatment at a Colombian health institution between 2007-2022, in a census of 4441 patients, where a multiple binary logistic regression was performed with explanatory factors and crude and adjusted OR, confidence intervals and p were calculated.

Results: The proportion of virologic failure was 28.1%. The adjusted model demonstrated that polypharmacy, treatment changes, non-adherence, and failure to claim medication were significantly associated with virologic failure.

Conclusion: Polypharmacy, treatment changes, non-adherence, and failure to claim medication explain virologic failure in HIV patients undergoing ART.