HAART can be hard.

HIV-infected teenagers may need help in adhering to regimens of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). (1) In 1998, researchers conducting a multisite, longitudinal study of HIV disease progression in adolescents added questions about HAART adherence to the survey instrument. The first time the questions were asked of 231 participants receiving HAART, roughly 60-70% reported adherence. Teenagers with late-stage disease had half as great odds of adherence on the previous nonweekend day as those in the early stage of the disease. The odds of adherence on the previous Saturday and in the previous month were reduced among high school dropouts (odds ratios, 0.6 and 0.5, respectively) and declined as intensity of alcohol use increased (0.7 and 0.8); adherence on the previous Saturday rose with CD4 cell count (1.9). Among 65 teenagers who had initially adhered to their treatment regimen for at least a year, half failed to do so within 12 months; young age and being depressed were associated with an increased likelihood of nonadherence. The researchers write that the findings suggest "an urgent need for better interventions to assist adolescents infected with HIV with their medication regimen."

(1.) Murphy DA et al., Longitudinal antiretroviral adherence among adolescents infected with human immunodeficiency virus, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 2005, 159(8):764-770.