[Challenges of the anti-retroviral therapy].

Anti-retroviral therapy has still many difficulties for the continuous viral suppression, although it has markedly improved the prognosis of the patients with HIV/AIDS. It is essential that anti-retroviral therapy requires strict adherence of the patients. More than 95% of adherence to have medicine is required for the success of the therapy. Severe and frequent adverse reactions, many pill burden, food restriction and patients' poor recognition to the therapy influence adherence. Of those, adverse reaction of the drugs is the strongest factor for disturbing adherence. Digestive tract symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and/or diarrhea are common and affect to reduce adherence. Recently, lactic acidosis/hepatic steatosis and lipodystrophy syndrome have been recognized as novel and important adverse reactions with anti-retroviral medicines. Physicians should be aware of the importance of adherence, and assist the patients to improve it with multiple approaches.