Prevalence, Predictors and Patterns of Psychoactive substance use among HIV seropositive adults at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, North Western Nigeria

The concomitant use of psychoactive substances in HIV infection has significant implications for both transmission and progression of the disease as well as in affecting the adherence to treatment regimen. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of psychoactive substance use as well as determined the predictors among HIV+ population at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in northwestern Nigeria. This study utilized the sociodemographic questionnaire, clinical proforma, the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depressive Scale (HADS) for data collection and the multidrug urine screen test device to detect the drug metabolites in the subjects' system. Prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 25.2%. Male gender [Odds Ratio (O.R.) = 8.34, 95% C.I.= 2.852 9.495, p<0.001], the absence of antiretroviral medications [O.R.= 3.65, 95% C.I.=0.231 0.611, p=0.034], the diagnosis of anxiety and depressive disorders (O.R.= 4.61, 95% C.I. = 0.486 0.884, p<0.001) and (O.R. = 6.98, 95% C.I. = 0.189 0.574, p<0.001) respectively were the independent predictors of psychoactive substance use among the respondents. The commonest used substances were alcohol and Cannabis, most use multiple substances. We therefore recommend periodic screening for psychoactive substances in HIV+ adults in order to optimize care and clinical outcome.