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This study investigated alcohol consumption among HIV-positive clients at a military hospital in Makurdi, Nigeria, and its association with treatment outcomes. Researchers used a cross-sectional design and the WHO ASSIST questionnaire to survey HIV-positive individuals aged 18 and above. Findings indicated that a significant proportion, nearly 60%, reported mild alcohol use, with many also using other substances, especially tobacco. Alcohol use was significantly associated with demographic factors including age, gender, education, marital status, and religion. Females were found to be less likely to use alcohol than males. Crucially, the study concluded that alcohol use is a determinant of viral load suppression, with those who had ever used alcohol being almost twice as likely to experience poor viral load suppression.
Understanding the link between alcohol consumption and HIV treatment outcomes is crucial for improving patient health. This research highlights how alcohol use can hinder the effectiveness of HIV treatment, particularly viral load suppression, and identifies specific demographic groups where interventions might be most effective.
The abstract suggests a need for policy recommendations to reduce alcohol consumption among people living with HIV. This indicates a potential for public health interventions, educational programmes, or counselling services aimed at improving patient adherence and treatment outcomes. It is early-stage research informing public health strategy rather than a direct product or service.
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Background: Alcohol consumption can affect the immune system, adherence to ART, CD4 count, and viral load in HIV-infected individuals, which can potentially lead to metabolic dysregulation. The study aims to evaluate alcohol use and its association with treatment outcome among clients on care in the military HIV programme. Methods: The study was at Nigerian Air Force Hospital, Makurdi, Benue state, Nigeria among all HIV positive clients ≥ 18 years. A simple random sampling method was adopted. An analytical cross-sectional study was done using WHO ASSIST questionnaire. Chi-square test was applied to ascertain association of Alcohol use with clients’ characteristics and treatment outcome. Logistic regression was used for further analysis to identify predictors. Results: Higher proportion 237(59.6%) used Alcohol mildly. In all, 313(70.3%) used alcohol with other substance especially Tobacco 204(65.2%). There were significant association of alcohol use with age (p = 0.001), gender (p < 0.001), education (p= 0.001), marital status (p < 0.001) and religion (; p= 0.011). Females were about 40% times (AOR 0.47; 95% CI 0.12-0.86) likely to use Alcohol compared to males. Those who had ever used alcohol were more likely to have poor viral load suppression (p=0.013). Those that have ever used Alcohol were about 1.9 times (AOR 1.85; 95% CI 1.04-3.22) more likely to have poor viral load suppression than those that have not. Conclusion: Alcohol use is a determinant of viral load suppression. It also influenced some clients’ characteristics. There is need for Policy recommendations for reducing alcohol consumption among PLHIV for improved prognosis of HIV clients.
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DOI: 10.56557/ajmrcr/2025/v7i151
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