Identifying potentiators of adverse reactions to antiretroviral drugs in a primary care model

Introduction

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in Antiretroviral Treatment (ART) are influenced by multiple potentiators related to the patient, the disease, the drug, the environment and medical treatment, these ADRs are highly prevalent and are identified as an important risk factor that predisposes patients to ADRs. It was considered necessary to determine the demographic, social, and clinical factors associated with ADRs from antiretrovirals in HIV-positive patients, who were treated by the specialized comprehensive care program in a primary health care model.

Methodology

Observational, cross-sectional, analytical, and retrospective study with a population of patients on antiretroviral therapy in a primary care program. The outcome evaluated was adverse drug reactions vs. sociodemographic, pharmacological and clinical factors. For the statistical analysis, univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed, where a multiple binary logistic regression was used for explanatory purposes.

Results

A total of 5406 records of patients with antiretroviral therapy were analyzed, the prevalence of ADR was 16.68%, the multivariate analysis showed that the variables that increase the probability of ADR are age, education, area of residence, pharmacological group, HDL cholesterol levels, adherence, persistence, change of two or more times of ARV and treatment time.

Conclusion

Antiretrovirals, as well as the risk factors that are mainly associated with the occurrence of ADRs in this study, contribute to health professionals at all levels to anticipate, identify and minimize ADR, as well as to understand the need for close follow-up and monitoring to avoid the occurrence of serious ADRs.