ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: People living with HIV (PLWH) are living longer and developing more non-AIDS comorbidities, which negatively impact antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Tenofovir diphosphate (TFV-DP) in dried blood spots (DBS) is a novel pharmacologic measure of cumulative ART adherence that is predictive of viral suppression and future viremia. However, the relationship between non-AIDS comorbidities and this adherence measure is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the association between 3 non-AIDS comorbidities (diabetes mellitus (DM), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia) and TFV-DP in DBS in PLWH. METHODS: Blood for TFV-DP in DBS and HIV viral load was prospectively collected from PLWH on tenofovir disoproxil fumarate for up to 3 times over 48 weeks. Non-AIDS comorbidities were recorded. Mixed effect multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the changes in TFV-DP concentrations in DBS according to the presence of comorbidities and to estimate the percent differences in TFV-DP concentrations between these groups. RESULTS: A total of 1144 person-visits derived from 523 participants with available concentrations of TFV-DP in DBS were included in this analysis. In univariate analysis, no significant association between non-AIDS comorbidities (categorized as having 0, 1, 2, or 3 comorbidities) and the concentrations of TFV-DP in DBS was observed (P = 0.40). Participants who had DM had 25% lower (95% confidence interval: -36% to -12%; P < 0.001) TFV-DP in DBS than participants without DM after adjusting for age, gender, race, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, CD4 T-cell count, hematocrit, ART class, patient-level medication regimen complexity index, and 3-month self-reported adherence. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetic PLWH have lower concentrations of TFV-DP in DBS compared with those without DM. Further research is required to identify the clinical implications and biological mechanisms underlying these findings.