| Title | Brief Report: Apparent Antiretroviral Over-adherence by Pill Count is Associated with HIV Treatment Failure in Adolescents. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2016 |
| Authors | Okatch H, Beiter K, Eby J, Chapman J, Marukutira T, Tshume O, Matshaba M, Anabwani GM, Gross R, Lowenthal ED |
| Journal | J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr |
| Date Published | 2016 Mar 16 |
| ISSN | 1944-7884 |
| Abstract | Pill counts with calculated adherence percentages are used in many settings to monitor adherence, but can be undermined by patients discarding pills to hide non-adherence. Pill counts suggesting that >100% of prescribed doses were taken can signal "pill dumping." We defined "over-adherence" (OA) among a cohort of 300 HIV-infected adolescents as having >1/3 of pill counts with >100% adherence during a year of follow-up. Apparent over-adherence was more common in those with virologic failure than those with suppressed viral loads (33% vs 13%, chi p=0.001). Pill count adherence repeatedly >100% may identify HIV-infected adolescents at increased risk of treatment failure. |
| DOI | 10.1097/QAI.0000000000000994 |
| Alternate Journal | J. Acquir. Immune Defic. Syndr. |
| PubMed ID | 26990822 |
| Grant List | K23 MH095669 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States L40 AI090971 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States |