TY - JOUR
T1 - Use of antiretroviral therapies by hiv-infected persons receiving methadone maintenance
AU - Stein, Michael D.
AU - Clarke, Jennifer
AU - Maksad, Jinana
AU - Sobota, Mindy
AU - Urdaneta, Marta E.
AU - Markson, Leona E.
AU - Hanna, Lucy
N1 - Funding Information:
Michael D. Stein, Jennifer Clarke, Jinana Maksad, and Mindy Sobota are affiliated with the Division of General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI. Marta E. Urdaneta, and Leona E. Markson are affiliated with Merck and Co., Inc., West Point, PA. Lucy Hanna is affiliated with the Department of Community Health, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI. Address Correspondence to: Michael D. Stein, MD, Division of General Internal Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903 (E-mail: Michael_Stein@Brown.edu). Supported by NIDA RO1-DA-10567 and a grant from Merck & Co., Inc.
PY - 2000/3/9
Y1 - 2000/3/9
N2 - HIV-infected persons receiving methadone maintenance must often seek their medical care at a separate site. However, little data is available on the receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART), beliefs about ART, and influences on the decision to initiate ART among those referred off-site. HIV-infected injection drug users (n = 72) were interviewed at three methadone maintenance programs; 83% with CD4 cell counts under 500 reported that they had received ART. Of these persons, 56% had used three drug combination therapy. Beliefs about the benefits of ART included: increased survival, 96%; decreased viral load 87%; decreased HIV-related infections 87%; could cure HIV, 29%. For those receiving ART, physician input, CD4 count, and possible side effects were more important than friends, family or mass media in deciding to start ART. We conclude that the model of referral for HIV care off-site does not appear to impede access to ART for HIV-infected IDUs in methadone maintenance.
AB - HIV-infected persons receiving methadone maintenance must often seek their medical care at a separate site. However, little data is available on the receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART), beliefs about ART, and influences on the decision to initiate ART among those referred off-site. HIV-infected injection drug users (n = 72) were interviewed at three methadone maintenance programs; 83% with CD4 cell counts under 500 reported that they had received ART. Of these persons, 56% had used three drug combination therapy. Beliefs about the benefits of ART included: increased survival, 96%; decreased viral load 87%; decreased HIV-related infections 87%; could cure HIV, 29%. For those receiving ART, physician input, CD4 count, and possible side effects were more important than friends, family or mass media in deciding to start ART. We conclude that the model of referral for HIV care off-site does not appear to impede access to ART for HIV-infected IDUs in methadone maintenance.
KW - Antiretrovirals
KW - HIV
KW - Methadone
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U2 - 10.1300/J069v19n01_07
DO - 10.1300/J069v19n01_07
M3 - Article
C2 - 10772605
AN - SCOPUS:0033841702
SN - 1055-0887
VL - 19
SP - 85
EP - 94
JO - Journal of Addictive Diseases
JF - Journal of Addictive Diseases
IS - 1
ER -