Therapy naivete in the era of potent antiretroviral therapy

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) use was examined in a cohort of homosexual men infected with HIV-1 for long periods. Multivariate logistic regression models, stratified by clinical indication (below and above 500 CD4 cells/μl or prior AIDS), were used to determine predictors of ART naivete. Of the 673 men seen at visit 28 (10/97–4/98), 89 (13.2%) never used ART and 548 (81.4%) were current users; 55% of the therapy-naive were ART eligible. Lower CD4 cell counts predicted (P < .001) ART use. Determinants of therapy naivete differed by clinical indication. African-American race and no prior ambulatory visit predicted (P < .05) ART naivete in men with ⩾500 CD4 cells/μl. Among those with clinical indications, less education, younger age, multiple sexual partners, and no prior ambulatory visit significantly predicted ART naivete. In this era of effective ART, use was not universal. Besides disease markers, these nonclinical determinants need to be considered for promoting population therapy effectiveness.