By Benjamin Ryan
Worldwide, alcohol-associated disorder (AUD) is more common among people living with HIV compared to the general population.
This was a finding from the first meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of problematic alcohol use among HIV-positive individuals worldwide. AUD, also known as alcoholism, is associated with poorer adherence to antiretroviral therapy, as well as a weaker immune response, and also has a negative impact on cognitive function and overall quality of life.
For people who are co-infected with the hepatitis C virus, experts advise against alcohol consumption. Even in people without hepatitis C, excessive alcohol consumption can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Bereket Duko, from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Hawassa University in Ethiopia, and colleagues analyzed 25 studies published between 2006 and 2019 conducted in developing and developed countries and included 25,154 participants.
The study authors estimated the overall prevalence of aAUD to be 30%, 27% in men and 14% in women; these figures varied across studies.
The prevalence was 42% in developed countries and 25% in developing countries. The difference between these two figures was statistically significant.
“The variation in the socioeconomic status of countries, cultural differences, the accessibility and availability of alcoholic beverages, and the variation in the number of studies in developed countries could contribute to this difference,” the authors wrote.
Why the difference in the prevalence of alcohol use disorder (AUD) between people with and without HIV? HIV-positive individuals may use alcohol to cope with the psychological distress of living with the virus.
The authors recommended the detection and appropriate management of AUD and stated that more robust studies with a representative sample size worldwide are needed to strengthen these findings.
For people with HIV who are considering treatment for AUD, there are options beyond traditional 12-step programs. Monthly injections of long-acting naltrexone, a treatment also used for opioid use disorder, helped HIV-positive participants in a recent trial reduce their alcohol consumption.
From: https://www.poz.com/article/common-alcohol-use-disorder-among-people-hiv