Introduction: Significant successes in the fight against HIV have been achieved, in part, thanks to triple antiretroviral therapy. The efficacy of antiretroviral treatment relies heavily on strict and sustained treatment adherence. However, many patients living with HIV face challenges regarding adherence. This study was conducted to evaluate the determinants of treatment non-adherence over the preceding six months among people living with HIV (PLHIV) receiving care at a referral center in Dakar. Patients and Methods: This was a descriptive, prospective, observational study using a mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative) approach, involving PLHIV receiving care at the Infectious Diseases Department of FANN Hospital between January 1 and November 30, 2025. Results: During the study period, we interviewed 200 individuals seen at the hospital pharmacy unit. The median age was 50 years, with an interquartile range of 36 to 59 years. The 40 - 59 and 20 - 39 groups were the most represented, at 47.00% and 29.50%, respectively. There was a predominance of women (57.00%). In our study, 36% of patients were married and 11.00% were widowed. The partner’s serological status was known for more than half of the patients (68.18%). Among those with known status, 41.00% had a partner who tested positive for HIV infection. The vast majority of patients were receiving a dolutegravir (DTG)-based treatment regimen (93.5%). Most patients adhered to prescription renewal schedules (88.50%) and took their medication as prescribed (94.00%). Furthermore, 19.00% of patients arrived at their appointment with no remaining tablets, while 71.00% arrived with 1 to 4 tablets remaining. Approximately 10.00% of patients were non-adherent. The main reasons cited were forgetfulness (40.00%) and travel (25.00%). Additionally, a lack of financial resources and transportation difficulties were each reported by 5.0% of patients. Conclusion: Approximately one in ten patients in our study exhibited non-adherence to treatment. The primary causes reported were forgetfulness and travel. These results highlight the importance of strengthening adherence support strategies to sustainably improve treatment adherence.
Moir, S., Chun, T. and Fauci, A.S. (2011) Pathogenic Mechanisms of HIV Disease. AnnualReviewofPathology: MechanismsofDisease, 6, 223-248. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-pathol-011110-130254
[3]
Barré-Sinoussi, F., Ross, A.L. and Delfraissy, J. (2013) Past, Present and Future: 30 Years of HIV Research. NatureReviewsMicrobiology, 11, 877-883. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3132
[4]
World Health Organization (2025) HIV and AIDS. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hiv-aids
[5]
Gona, P.N., Gona, C.M., Ballout, S., Rao, S.R., Kimokoti, R., Mapoma, C.C., et al. (2020) Burden and Changes in HIV/AIDS Morbidity and Mortality in Southern Africa Development Community Countries, 1990-2017. BMCPublicHealth, 20, Article No. 867. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-08988-9
[6]
UNAIDS (2025) 2025 Global AIDS Update—AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2025/2025-global-aids-update
[7]
Izizag, B.B., Situakibanza, H., Kiazayawoko, F., Nkodila, A., Mafuta, E., Lukanu, P., et al. (2020) Déterminants de la non-observance au traitement antirétroviral chez l′adulte à Kinshasa. PanAfricanMedicalJournal, 37, Article 157. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2020.37.157.13261
[8]
Mills, E.J., Nachega, J.B., Bangsberg, D.R., Singh, S., Rachlis, B., Wu, P., et al. (2006) Adherence to HAART: A Systematic Review of Developed and Developing Nation Patient-Reported Barriers and Facilitators. PLOSMedicine, 3, e438. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0030438
[9]
Almeida, P.R.S., Rafael, C.A.C., Pimentel, V., Abecasis, A.B., Sebasti?o, C.S. and de Morais, J. (2024) Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) among HIV-1 Patients from Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. AIDS Reviews, 26, 102-110. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202404.1615.v2
[10]
Ridgeway, K., Dulli, L.S., Murray, K.R., Silverstein, H., Dal Santo, L., Olsen, P., et al. (2018) Interventions to Improve Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence among Adolescents in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of the Literature. PLOSONE, 13, e0189770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189770
[11]
Desclaux, A., Ciss, M., Taverne, B., Sow, P.S., Egrot, M., Faye, M.A., et al. (2003) Access to Antiretroviral Drugs and AIDS Management in Senegal. AIDS, 17, S95-S101. https://doi.org/10.1097/00002030-200317003-00013
[12]
WHO (2023) Biennial Report 2022-2023: Strengthening Health System Resilience and Country-Level Impact. World Health Organization, 1-80. https://www.afro.who.int/fr/countries/senegal/publication/rapport-biennal-2022-2023-renforcement-de-la-resilience-du-systeme-de-sante-et-de-limpact-au-niveau
[13]
Byabene, A.K., Fortes‐Déguénonvo, L., Niang, K., Manga, M.N., Bulabula, A.N.H., Nachega, J.B., et al. (2017) Optimal Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence as Evaluated by CASE Index Score Tool Is Associated with Virological Suppression in HIV‐Infected Adults in Dakar, Senegal. TropicalMedicine&InternationalHealth, 22, 776-782. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12882
[14]
Mbengue, M.A.S., Sarr, S.O., Diop, A., Ndour, C.T., Ndiaye, B. and Mboup, S. (2019) Prevalence and Determinants of Adherence to Antiretroviral Treatment among HIV Patients on First-Line Regimen: A Cross-Sectional Study in Dakar, Senegal. PanAfricanMedicalJournal, 33, Article 95. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2019.33.95.17248
[15]
Loosli, T., Bolton Moore, C., Buzaalirwa, L., Byakwaga, H., ?elika?, ?., Chimbetete, C., et al. (2025) Drug Resistance in People with Viremia on Dolutegravir-Based Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa: The DTG RESIST Study. ClinicalInfectiousDiseases, 81, e128-e131. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaf204
[16]
Dorward, J., Lessells, R., Drain, P.K., Naidoo, K., de Oliveira, T., Pillay, Y., et al. (2018) Dolutegravir for First-Line Antiretroviral Therapy in Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries: Uncertainties and Opportunities for Implementation and Research. TheLancetHIV, 5, e400-e404. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2352-3018(18)30093-6
[17]
Liu, J., Yan, Y., Li, Y., Lin, K., Xie, Y., Tan, Z., et al. (2024) Factors Associated with Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence among People Living with HIV in Guangdong Province, China: A Cross Sectional Analysis. BMCPublicHealth, 24, Article No. 1358. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18774-6
[18]
Abdulrahman, S.A., Rampal, L., Ibrahim, F., Radhakrishnan, A.P., Kadir Shahar, H. and Othman, N. (2017) Mobile Phone Reminders and Peer Counseling Improve Adherence and Treatment Outcomes of Patients on ART in Malaysia: A Randomized Clinical Trial. PLOSONE, 12, e0177698. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177698
[19]
Maduka, O. and Tobin-West, C. (2013) Adherence Counseling and Reminder Text Messages Improve Uptake of Antiretroviral Therapy in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria. NigerianJournalofClinicalPractice, 16, 302-308. https://doi.org/10.4103/1119-3077.113451
[20]
Mills, E.J., Nachega, J.B., Buchan, I., Orbinski, J., Attaran, A., Singh, S., et al. (2006) Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Sub-Saharan Africa and North America: A Meta-Analysis. JAMA, 296, 679-690. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.296.6.679
[21]
Kumarasamy, N., Prabhu, S., Chandrasekaran, E., Poongulali, S., Pradeep, A., Chitra, D., et al. (2019) Safety, Tolerability, and Efficacy of Generic Dolutegravir-Containing Antiretroviral Therapy Regimens among South Indian Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Patients. ClinicalInfectiousDiseases, 68, 1048-1051. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciy763
[22]
Borghetti, A., Lombardi, F., Gagliardini, R., Baldin, G., Ciccullo, A., Moschese, D., et al. (2019) Efficacy and Tolerability of Lamivudine Plus Dolutegravir Compared with Lamivudine Plus Boosted PIS in HIV-1 Positive Individuals with Virologic Suppression: A Retrospective Study from the Clinical Practice. BMCInfectiousDiseases, 19, Article No. 59. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-018-3666-8
[23]
Maartens, G., Sinxadi, P. and Venter, W.D.F. (2023) Weight Gain on Dolutegravir: Association Is Not the Same as Causation. SouthernAfricanJournalofHIVMedicine, 24, Article No. 1500. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v24i1.1500
[24]
Jemal, M. (2024) A Review of Dolutegravir-Associated Weight Gain and Secondary Metabolic Comorbidities. SAGEOpenMedicine, 12, 1-9.
[25]
Mbopi-Kéou, F., Djomassi, L.D. and Monebenimp, F. (2012) Etude des facteurs liés à l’observance au traitement antirétroviral chez les patients suivis à l’Unité de Prise En Charge du VIH/SIDA de l’H?pital de District de Dschang, Cameroun. PanAfricanMedicalJournal, 12, Article 55. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2012.12.55.1521
[26]
Guira, O., Kaboré, D.S., Dao, G., Zagré, N., Zohoncon, T.M., Pietra, V. and Simporé, J. (2016) Prevalence of Non-Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy and Its Related Clinical and Therapeutic Factors in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). Médecine et Santé Tropicales, 26, 396-401. https://doi.org/10.1684/mst.2016.0604
[27]
Been, S.K., van de Vijver, D.A.M.C., Nieuwkerk, P.T., Brito, I., Stutterheim, S.E., Bos, A.E.R., et al. (2016) Risk Factors for Non-Adherence to Cart in Immigrants with HIV Living in the Netherlands: Results from the Rotterdam Adherence (ROAD) Project. PLOSONE, 11, e0162800. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0162800
[28]
Eribo, E.V. and Adeleye, O.A. (2020) Self-Reported Adherence to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria. GhanaMedicalJournal, 54, 30-35. https://doi.org/10.4314/gmj.v54i1.5
[29]
Ettenhofer, M.L., Hinkin, C.H., Castellon, S.A., Durvasula, R., Ullman, J., Lam, M., et al. (2009) Aging, Neurocognition, and Medication Adherence in HIV Infection. TheAmericanJournalofGeriatricPsychiatry, 17, 281-290. https://doi.org/10.1097/jgp.0b013e31819431bd
[30]
Gonzalez, J.S., Batchelder, A.W., Psaros, C. and Safren, S.A. (2011) Depression and HIV/AIDS Treatment Nonadherence: A Review and Meta-Analysis. JAIDSJournalofAcquiredImmuneDeficiencySyndromes, 58, 181-187. https://doi.org/10.1097/qai.0b013e31822d490a
[31]
Horvath, T., Azman, H., Kennedy, G.E. and Rutherford, G.W. (2012) Mobile Phone Text Messaging for Promoting Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Patients with HIV Infection. CochraneDatabaseofSystematicReviews, No. 3, CD009756. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.cd009756
[32]
Taylor, B.S., Reyes, E., Levine, E.A., Khan, S.Z., Gardu?o, L.S., Donastorg, Y., et al. (2014) Patterns of Geographic Mobility Predict Barriers to Engagement in HIV Care and Antiretroviral Treatment Adherence. AIDS Patient Care STDS, 28, 284-295. https://doi.org/10.1089/apc.2014.0028
[33]
Laws, M.B., Wilson, I.B., Bowser, D.M. and Kerr, S.E. (2000) Taking Antiretroviral Therapy for HIV Infection: Learning from Patients’ Stories. JournalofGeneralInternalMedicine, 15, 848-858. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2000.90732.x
[34]
Hill, Z., Kendall, C. and Fernandez, M. (2003) Patterns of Adherence to Antiretrovirals: Why Adherence Has No Simple Measure. AIDSPatientCareandSTDs, 17, 519-525. https://doi.org/10.1089/108729103322494311
[35]
Ware, N.C., Wyatt, M.A., Geng, E.H., Kaaya, S.F., Agbaji, O.O., Muyindike, W.R., et al. (2013) Toward an Understanding of Disengagement from HIV Treatment and Care in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Qualitative Study. PLOSMedicine, 10, e1001369. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001369
[36]
Murnane, P.M., Gandhi, M., Bacchetti, P., Getahun, M., Gutin, S.A., Okochi, H., et al. (2022) Distinct Forms of Migration and Mobility Are Differentially Associated with HIV Treatment Adherence. AIDS, 36, 1021-1030. https://doi.org/10.1097/qad.0000000000003213
[37]
Heestermans, T., Browne, J.L., Aitken, S.C., Vervoort, S.C. and Klipstein-Grobusch, K. (2016) Determinants of Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV-Positive Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review. BMJGlobalHealth, 1, e000125. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000125
[38]
Tuller, D.M., Bangsberg, D.R., Senkungu, J., Ware, N.C., Emenyonu, N. and Weiser, S.D. (2010) Transportation Costs Impede Sustained Adherence and Access to HAART in a Clinic Population in Southwestern Uganda: A Qualitative Study. AIDSandBehavior, 14, 778-784. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-009-9533-2