Highly active antiretroviral therapy among drug users in Amsterdam : self-perceived reasons for not receiving therapy

In the Netherlands, highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), i.e. triple combination treatment including a protease inhibitor (PI), became widely available in July 1996. However, studies among drug users (DUs) have reported a delay in the start of combination therapy or low treatment percentages compared with other risk groups, which might be caused by several risk group-related reasons, including poor knowledge, low healthcare-seeking behaviour and access, and anticipated problems with compliance due to drug use, lifestyle, psychopathology, imprisonment, and housing problems.