Open AccessUse of non-HIV medication among people living with HIV and receiving antiretroviral treatment in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa: A cross-sectional study
Author(s) -
Mariam Mama Djima,
Didier Koumavi Ekouévi,
JeanPierre Grégoire,
Boris Tchounga,
Patrick A. Coffie,
Viet-Thi Tran,
Franck Y. Touré,
Jocelyne Moisan
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0221335
Subject(s) - medicine , cross sectional study , cote d ivoire , antiretroviral treatment , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , poisson regression , antiretroviral therapy , family medicine , pediatrics , demography , population , environmental health , viral load , philosophy , pathology , sociology , humanities
Background In Côte d’Ivoire, people living with HIV (PLHIV) have free access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and cotrimoxazole. Yet, they may use other medications to treat non-HIV diseases. Scarce data are available regarding the use of non-HIV medications in Africa. This study describes the use of non-HIV medications and identifies the factors associated with their use by PLHIV on ART in Côte d’Ivoire. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in six HIV clinics in 2016. HIV-1-infected adults receiving ART for at least one year were eligible. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect demographics, HIV characteristics and medication use data. Associated factors were identified using a multivariate adjusted Poisson regression. Results A total of 1,458 participants (74% women) were enrolled. The median age was 44 years, and the median duration of ART was 81 months. A total of 696 (48%) participants reported having used at least one non-HIV medication. Among the 1,519 non-HIV medications used, 550 (36%) had not been prescribed and 397 (26%) were from the nervous system class. Individuals who were more likely to report the use of at least one non-HIV medication included those who had been treated in an Abidjan HIV clinic, had a high school education level, had a monthly income between 152 and 304 euros, had a poor perceived health status, had WHO advanced clinical stage, had used traditional medicine products and had not used cotrimoxazole. Conclusion Almost half PLHIV on ART reported using non-HIV medication. Further research is needed to assess whether the use of non-HIV medication is appropriate given about a third of those medications are not being prescribed.