Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical indicators (viral load- VL, CD4 lymphocytes and adherence) of HIV+ patients, at the beginning of treatment with antiretrovirals (ARV), during pharmacotherapeutic monitoring (PTM) in a specialized center in Fortaleza, Ceará. The longitudinal study, according to the Dáder method, was used for patients with HIV (n = 100) from 2008 to 2012, beginning at the time of dispensation of the antiretroviral therapy. The data were analyzed using SPSS^®. To evaluate the VL and CD4 levels, the Wilcoxon's test was carried out and the patients were used as temporal controls for themselves regarding the outcomes assessed at the beginning and end of the PTM. Adherence was determined by self-report and pharmacy dispensing records (PDR) of antiretrovirals. There was a mean reduction of 89.45% (SD = 0.28986) in total VL (p < 0.001). For CD4+ lymphocytes, a mean increase of 124.14% (SD = 1.31756) was detected (p <0.001) during the PTM. Most treated patients showed high rates of adherence by self-report (95.0%, n = 100) and (76.0%) PDR methods. The findings of the present work demonstrated the potential benefits of PTM on treatment adherence, which may have been decisive for the successful improvement of the assessed clinical indicators. The inclusion of PTM for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV/AIDS) in clinical services should be encouraged at the level of secondary health care.

Key words: HIV, AIDS, viral load, adherence, pharmaceutical care.