Abstract

Background: Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) affect patients’ compliance and health related quality of life. HIV patients face challenges in adherence to their medications and experience side effects affecting their overall well-being, a primary outcome of HIV/AIDS treatment.

Methods: Four hundred and forty three Malaysians with a known diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, using Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) for at least past three months, were invited to participate in this study. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS®) version 18 and STATA IC® version 12.

Results: About 44% (n=194) of total 443 HIV patients reported ADR, among them 131 (67.5%) were male while 63 (32.4 %) were females. Weight loss (12.6%), lipodystrophy (12.4%), peripheral neuropathy (12%), itchiness (11.7%) and skin problems (8.6%) were frequently found ADRs. Almost similar numbers of patients experienced ADRs who were combivir based (21.7%) and other drug therapy (22.1%) and this translated insignificant association between type of therapy and ADRs. However the poor CD4 counts (OR 1.72, 95% CI: 1.04 — 2.86), and poor viral suppression (OR 1.87, 95% CI: 1.04 — 3.36) did increase the odds of experiencing adverse drug reactions.

Conclusion: Uninformed and unpredictable ADRs may lead to non-adherence, poor health related quality of life and refusal to take medications which can ultimately affect the outcomes of HIV program. This poses a great necessity for optimizing pharmacovigilance services by addressing areas that require more attention.