Professor Rob Horne of the University of Brighton told the 8th BHIVA Conference that 115 patients offered anti-HIV combos had been studied over a six-month period. Of these, 83 accepted treatment. By the end of the six months, however, 44 per cent of patients had either become 'non-adherent' - taking frequent breaks - or in 20 per cent of cases had stopped taking them altogether.
The patients had all been given a questionnaire before they were offered therapy to gauge their attitudes towards the HIV pills. Perceptions of the necessity of taking therapy did not affect adherence - that is, it did not make a lot of difference whether patients thought the drugs were lifesavers or just 'a

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Patients' combo fears affect adherence

good idea'.
But concerns about therapy did. Patients who were non-adherent reported the strongest fear of drug side effects, or fear that the drugs would disrupt their lives, before they started. One said, "I don't want to become dependent on my therapy. I'd like to be able to stop some time." Professor Horne commented: "Doctors have not sufficiently understood how much patients worry about the fact that the regimes are, currently, life-long."
Worryingly, patients who had previously tried and stopped therapy were more likely to stop again second time round. There was also 'slippage' in patients' perception

of how necessary their regime was; some patients felt the drugs were