HIV-INFECTED WOMEN - BARRIERS TO AZT USE

AZT has become a mainstay drug in efforts to slow disease progression in HIV-infected individuals. Further, recent evidence indicates that A ZT use by pregnant infected women and their neonates may reduce the ri sk of vertical transmission. In a study of HIV-infected women's treatm ent-related behavior, attitudes toward the use of this drug were exami ned. Data were gathered through unstructured interviewing techniques. The data from the first 71 women accrued revealed that negative attitu des towards its use were widely prevalent. Women viewed the drug as hi ghly toxic, prescribed indiscriminately, inadequately tested in women and minorities, promoted for the wrong reasons and inappropriate while they were feeling well. The findings suggest that removing attitudina l barriers to the use of AZT will be important to both primary and sec ondary prevention efforts. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.