The Impact of Alcohol and Illicit Drug use on Adherence to HIV Pre-exposure Prophylaxis among Men who have Sex with Men

ABSTRACT

Objectives: To investigate the degree of Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) adherence to antiretrovirals Tenofovir/Emtricitabine (TFC/FTC), drugs for the Pre-exposure Prophylaxis to the human immunodeficiency virus (PrEP). Methods: This is a cross-sectional and retrospective study carried out in a reference service in infectology in Ceará-Brazil. MSM with at least three recorded medical follow-ups were included in the study. We considered as ideal adherence those users who took at least 80% of the doses within 90 days. Bivariate analysis (X² or Fisher’s exact) was carried out to investigate the association between ideal adherence to PrEP and the use of alcohol and illicit drugs. Results with a p-value <0.05 were taken into consideration. Results: A total of 167 individuals participated in the survey. MSM stopped taking 668 doses of PrEP in three months, of which 16.2% (n=27) had an adherence rate >80%. Nevertheless, alcohol and illicit drug use accounted for 41.4% (n=69). Among the most commonly used narcotics were marijuana and cocaine, 42.7% (n=35) and 18.3% (n=15), respectively. It was observed that optimal adherence (>80%) was better in individuals who did not use alcohol and illicit drugs compared to those who did (p=0.003). Conclusion:MSM adhered satisfactorily to PrEP; however, it was observed that individuals who used illicit drugs and alcohol when had their degree of adherence to TDF/FTC weakened when compared to those who did not use them. Thus, it becomes necessary to pay attention to such aspects to provide alternatives for increasing adherence in highpriority populations.

KEYWORDS

• Alcohol
• HIV
• Illicit Drugs
• Men who have Sex with Men
• Risk Groups
• Sexuality

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• DOI10.5530/jyp.2021.13.51Copy

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