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Background: HIV-infected patients need a long-term good adherence the regimen of antiretroviral therapy to achieve the maximal response. Therefore, parents, patients and multidisciplinary team have a cooperatively essential role to maintain drug adherence. However, children become fed up with in take of drugs. This study aimed to explore the effect of duration of antiretroviral treatment with the adherence to treatment and to develop strategy in taking care of these patients in HIV-infected children in Srinagarind Hospital in the future.
Methods: Demographic data of HIV- infected children and treatment information of retroviral drugs were collected retrospectively during June 01, 2005 to May31, 2007 at Srinagarind Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University.. Adherence was calculated by standard formula.
% Adherence = (initial stock + refilled amount)-final stock × 100
Number of pill/day × Number of follow-up days
Data were analyzed by using mean, standard deviation and Chi square (95% confidence ).
Results: One hundred and twenty five HIV infected children, 71 girls and 54 boys, included in the study. There was a total of 808 visits ; young age group of 395 visits and older age group of 413 visits. Young and older age group achieved good adherence by 73.1 % and 77.0 % respectively, p=0.21. Despite no difference in the percentage of good adherence between these 2 groups, the older age group became less adherent by the follow-up period, especially during and after 288-322 weeks and more than 322 weeks. Good adherences were 65.1% and 86.5% of medication given by self-giving in older children and parents, respectively. No other factors affected the adherence to drug therapy.
Conclusion: Most of HIV-infected children in this study had good adherence. The duration of antiretroviral therapy affected the adherence in older age group. Care givers had role to improve the adherence.Key word : Drug adherence, HIV-infected children, Antiretroviral drugs, Caregiver
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