Abstract
Injection drug users bear the burden of HIV in Vietnam and are a focus of national treatment programmes. To date, determinants of successful therapy in this population are unknown. Substance use and clinical correlates of viral suppression were studied in 100 HIV-1-infected drug users receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for at least six months in Hanoi, Vietnam. The mean age of the cohort was 29.9 + 4.9 years; all were men. A majority of patients (73%) achieved viral suppression (HIV-RNA <1000 copies/mL). Correlates of viral suppression include self-reported ≥95% adherence (P < 0.01) and current use of trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole (P < 0.01); current or ever diagnosed with tuberculosis was associated with viral non-suppression (P = 0.006). Tobacco use was prevalent (84%), and surprisingly 48% of patients reported active drug use; neither was associated with viral non-suppression. This is the first study to document successful ART treatment in a population of Vietnamese drug users; rates of viral suppression are comparable to other international populations. The 28% of patients without HIV-1 suppression highlight the need for adherence promotion, risk reduction programmes, and population-based surveillance strategies for assessing the emergence of HIV drug resistance in settings where access to viral load and drug resistance testing is limited.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.