Many women with HIV aren’t sticking to drug treatment programs, BC study finds

published on January 25, 2017 by Jayson MacLean, in cantech letter

A population-based study of BC residents living with HIV finds that more woman than men aren’t successfully adhering to their drug therapy programs.

The study followed over 4,500 people infected with HIV over a 14 year period and found that while 77 per cent of HIV-infected men were successfully keeping to their treatment regimens, only 57 per cent of HIV-infected women were doing so successfully, a result which researchers see as evidence that more support structures are needed for women within the HIV/AIDS community.

HIV treatment has come a long way over the past 30 years, to the point now where today’s antiretroviral drugs can give a person with HIV a strong chance of never developing full-blown AIDS. But while antiretroviral therapy has been proven to reduce the risk of life-threatening HIV-related infections, it’s also known that strict adherence to the therapy is required for the benefits to manifest, meaning that a stoppage in medication can cause treatment failure – hence the importance of sticking to treatment plans and taking medications daily.

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(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

© Copyright BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
St. Paul's Hospital 608–1081 Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6Z 1Y6
Tel: 604-806-8477 | Fax: 604-806-9044
General inquiries: info@bccfe.ca
Media inquiries: communications@bccfe.ca
(Please do not use any of these email addresses to send personal information or book an appointment. To book appointments or contact the H2H clinic, please call 604-416-1517 or fax: 604-564-4893. Do not send your or your client's personal information via email.)

Our work serves clients and communities across British Columbia on lands and waters cared for and nurtured by the many distinct First Nations across the province. The BC-CfE humbly and gratefully acknowledge the stewards of these lands, particularly the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔ (Tsleil-Waututh) on whose unceded, traditional and ancestral territories our offices are located.