ArticlePloS one2020
Alcohol use and viral suppression in HIV-positive Kenyan female sex workers on antiretroviral therapy.
Article in PloS one, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and epidemiological distribution of substance use among people living with HIV in the East African region: a meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- "'Corona' was bigger than AIDS": exploring how female sex workers with HIV navigated HIV care and treatment during the onset of COVID-19 in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania.Culture, health & sexuality · 2025Article
- Alcohol use and optimal chronic diseases' treatment outcomes among adults aged 40 years and above in rural South Africa.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- The Relationship between Age at Initiation of Regular Drinking of Alcohol and Viral Suppression Status, and Depression Symptoms Among People Living with HIV in South-Western Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- Evaluation of Treatment Outcomes Among Individuals on Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.AIDS research and treatment · 2024Article
- Epidemiology of alcohol use and alcohol use disorder among female sex workers in Mbeya City, Tanzania.PLOS global public health · 2024Article
- Trajectories of HIV management among virally suppressed and unsuppressed female sex workers in the Dominican Republic: A comparative qualitative analysis.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2023Article
- Alcohol use among people who inject drugs living with HIV in Kenya is associated with needle sharing, more new sex partners, and lower engagement in HIV care.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- Substance Use and Depression Impede ART Adherence Among Female Sex Workers Living with HIV in the Dominican Republic.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- Self-Reported Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Among Women Engaged in Commercial Sex Work in Southern Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2023Article
- Exploring the Association Between Social Support and Hazardous Alcohol Use Among Persons Living with HIV in South Western Uganda.AIDS and behavior · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundExcessive alcohol intake has been associated with poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). The impact of alcohol on viral suppression is particularly important among groups at high risk of HIV transmission, such as female sex workers (FSWs). Few studies have directly evaluated the association between alcohol use and HIV viral load. We hypothesized that hazardous or harmful alcohol use is associated with detectable plasma viral load among HIV-positive FSWs.
methodsA prospective cohort study was conducted among HIV-positive FSWs in Mombasa, Kenya. Hazardous or harmful alcohol use was assessed yearly and defined as an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score ≥7. Detectable viral load was assessed every six months and defined as ≥180 c/mL. Adherence measures were collected monthly and included late ART refill (>48 hours) and self-reported adherence, using both a validated self-rating scale of ability to take medication and visual analog scale (VAS) of ART use in the last month. Generalized estimating equations were used to estimate adjusted relative risks (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
resultsThis analysis included 366 participants followed monthly between October 2012 and March 2018. At baseline, AUDIT scores indicated hazardous alcohol use (AUDIT 7-15) in 14.3%, harmful alcohol use (AUDIT 16-19) in 1.4%, and alcohol dependency (AUDIT ≥20) in 1.4% of participants. After adjusting for potential confounders, a combined exposure including hazardous, harmful, and dependent alcohol use was not associated with detectable viral load (aRR 1.10, 95%CI 0.63-1.92) or late ART refill (aRR 1.13, 95%CI 0.82-1.56), but was associated with lower self-rated ability to take medication (aRR 2.38, 95%CI 1.42-3.99) and a lower rate of self-reported perfect ART adherence by VAS (aRR 2.62, 95%CI 1.84-3.71).
conclusionsIn this FSW cohort, while participants reporting hazardous, harmful, or dependent alcohol use were not more likely to have a detectable viral load, they were more likely to report lower ART adherence. These results suggest that interventions targeting alcohol use among this population of FSWs may not have a large impact on viral suppression.
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