A genetic marker of risk in HIV-infected individuals with a history of hazardous drinking

ABSTRACTImpulsivity and sensation seeking have been linked to hazardous drinking, increased sexual risk behaviors, and lower treatment adherence among persons living with HIV (PLH). The dopamine active transporter1 (DAT1or SLC6A3) gene has been linked to impulsivity and sensation seeking in several populations but has not been investigated among populations of PLH. This study used data from 201 PLH who report a recent history of heavy episodic drinking. Results indicate that DAT1*10R vs DAT1*9R genotype was related to higher propensity for risk taking (standardized difference score (d) = 0.30 [95% CI: 0.02;0.59]), more hazardous drinking (d = 0.35 [0.05;0.64]), and more condomless sex (rate ratio (RR)= 2.35[1.94; 2.85]), but were counter-intuitively associated with fewer sexual partners (RR = 0.65[0.43;0.91]) and possibly better treatment adherence (d = 0.32 [−0.01;0.65]). Results are consistent with the suggested associations between DAT1 and risk-taking behavior. The counter-intuitive finding for partne...