Table 4.
Comparisons between high- and low-adherence groups in gender, age, ART adherence, and the hair drug content for patients with identical ART regimens.
| High adherence group a | Low adherence group a | Statistical value b | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Chi-square/t-test | Covariance analysis | |||
| 3TC+AZT+NVP | ||||
| Number | 21 | 13 | – | – |
| Gender, male/female | 17/4 | 9/4 | χ2=9.529** | – |
| Age, years | 42.76±10.51, 23–68 | 45.54±8.30, 28–53 | t32= −0.874 | – |
| Adherence (days/month) c | 29.71±0.72, 28–30 | 20.69±5.14, 10–27 | t12.112=4.990*** | – |
| 3TC content, pg/mg d, e | 374±243, 110–1076 | 211±165, 0–524 | t13.912=2.107+ | F1. 30=6.770*, ηp2=0.184 |
| AZT content, pg/mg d, e | 1249±1632, 133–7769 | 205±450, 0–1593 | t13.520=5.554*** | F1. 30=53.150***, ηp2=0.639 |
| NVP content, pg/mg d, e | 13417±1975, 10352–18167 | 4301±6618, 0–14353 | t12.024=4.603*** | F1. 30=38.467***, ηp2=0.562 |
| 3TC+AZT+EFV | ||||
| Number | 22 | 14 | – | – |
| Gender, male/female | 14/8 | 11/3 | χ2=5.444* | – |
| Age, years | 43.82±8.14, 31–64 | 40.29±11.10, 19–55 | t34=1.315 | – |
| Adherence (days/month) c | 30.00±0.00, 30 | 21.64±3.67, 15–26 | t13.000=7.017*** | – |
| 3TC content, pg/mg d, f | 383±210, 110–910 | 120±203, 0–790 | t13.978=4.038** | F1. 32=22.734***, ηp2=0.415 |
| AZT content, pg/mg d, f | 1625±1201, 82–3586 | 133±387, 0–1458 | t16.414=7.397*** | F1. 32=64.591***, ηp2=0.669 |
| EFV content, pg/mg d, f | 5950±2787, 2179–12762 | 1391±2074, 0–6039 | t13.444=4.381*** | F1. 32=25.356***, ηp2=0.442 |
| 3TC+AZT+LPV/r g | ||||
| Number | 12 | 11 | – | – |
| Gender, male/female | 3/9 | 6/5 | χ2=1.087 | – |
| Age, years | 36.42±10.30, 22–50 | 37.55±10.26, 25–52 | t21= −0.285 | – |
| Adherence (days/month) c | 29.92±0.29, 29–30 | 22.82±3.31, 20–27 | t10.086= 6.478*** | – |
| 3TC content, pg/mg d, h | 520±339, 73–1358 | 278±162, 0–537 | t12.563=1.743 | F1.19=5.474*, ηp2=0.224 |
| AZT content, pg/mg d, h | 570±386, 192–1554 | 194±218, 0–670 | t11.053=2.873* | F1. 19=17.778***, ηp2=0.483 |
| RTV content, pg/mg d, h | 784±260, 426–1231 | 258±187, 0–468 | t10.361=2.881* | F1. 19=16.315***, ηp2=0.462 |
| LPV content, pg/mg d, h | 6611±2973, 3248–12195 | 1912±1725, 0–4333 | t10.587=2.905* | F1. 19=14.992**, ηp2=0.441 |
Notes:
p=0.054<0.1
p<0.05
p<0.01
p<0.001.
ART, antiretroviral therapy; 3TC, lamivudine; AZT, zidovudine; NVP, nevirapine; EFV, efavirenz; RTV, ritonavir; LPV, lopinavir; 3TC+AZT+NVP, 300-mg 3TC+600-mg AZT+400-mg NVP per day; 3TC+AZT+EFV, 300-mg 3TC+600-mg AZT+600-mg EFV per day; 3TC+AZT+LPV/r, 300-mg 3TC+600-mg AZT+1000-mg LPV/r per day.
High adherence represents days with oral drug administration > 27 days/month and low adherence represents days ≤ 27 days/month.
The difference in gender distribution was examined using the Chi-square test, and the differences in age and adherence were examined by t-test for two independent samples. The inter-group comparisons in the drug contents were examined with the t-test for two independent samples and covariance analysis with gender and age as covariates.
Adherence for patients was defined as the duration of antiretroviral drug administration within the past month. Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (M±SD) and range.
The antiretroviral drug content was presented as M±SD and range where the content below the limits of quantitation (LOQ) but over the limit of detection (LOD) was replaced with LOD and the content below LOD with 0.
For patients using 3TC+AZT+NVP with low adherence, one participant has a 3TC content below LOD. Four participants have an AZT content below LOQ but over LOD, and five participants have an AZT content below LOD. Two participants have a NVP content below LOQ but over LOD, and one participant has an NVP content below LOD.
For patients using 3TC+AZT+EFV with low adherence, one participant has a 3TC content below LOQ but over LOD, and three participants have a 3TC content below LOD. Three participants have an AZT content below LOQ but over LOD, and six participants have an AZT content below LOD. Two participants have an EFV content below LOQ but over LOD, and one participant has an EFV content below LOD.
LPV/r is the drug tablet combined with RTV and LPV.
For patients using 3TC+AZT+LPV/r with low adherence, one participant has a 3TC content below LOD. Three participants have an AZT content below LOD. Two participants have an RTV content below LOD, and one participant has an LPV content below LOD.