Factors related to non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment in children under 13 years of age

Background: The Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) constitute one of the main public health problems worldwide. With the appearance of antiretroviral treatments (ART), the history of the disease has changed, going from being highly fatal to being considered a chronic disease, since these drugs contribute to improving the quality of life of these patients by preventing replication viral. Objective: To identify adherence to antiretroviral treatment in children under 13 years of age living with HIV/AIDS. Methods: Descriptive, retrospective study with a quantitative approach. The population was made up of 21 children under 13 years of age living with HIV/AIDS and their family caregivers. The "Morisky Medication Adherence Scale-8 items (MMAS-8)" was used, and the SPSS statistical program was used for data processing. Version 21. Results: The majority of minors are unaware of the diagnosis (86%), are female (57.1%), live with their biological parents (81%), whose parents or caregivers earn less than the current minimum monthly wage (90.5 %), level of education of the primary caregiver complete (61.9%), non-adherent to antiretroviral treatment (71.4%) the factors associated with non-adherence identified are socioeconomic (Significance 0.004), and those associated with side effects of medications, which were estimated using the Chi square test for categorical variables and the T Student test for quantitative variables, selecting an & alpha;=0.05 and a confidence level of 95%. Conclusions: Poverty is a conditioning factor for practices that lead to non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment.