Introduction:

the low adherence in the highly effective antiretroviral treatment HAART is associated with worse health outcomes. In addition to infectious comorbidities, many patients with HIV / AIDS have associated psychopathology, drug dependence and socioeconomic problems. There is a high frequency of abandonment of therapy in our environment.

Objective:

to identify the variables associated with the abandonment of HAART therapy in patients with HIV from a third level hospital in Colombia.

Methods and Results:

descriptive cross-sectional study: 51 patients belonging to the program during one year were included; 12 patients (23%) had adherence to treatment, 32 (62%) had a history of psychoactive substance use and 33 (64%) had some psychiatric pathology. The factors that were associated with non-adherence were psychopathology and the poor support network.

Conclusion:

high rate of abandonment of HAART therapy is documented in the study population, probably associated with mental illness and poor social network. (Acta Med Colomb 2018; 43: 31-36).