Washington, Oct 22 : The fear of stigma among the HIV infected is not only highly distressing -- it can also cut them off from healthcare.

Researchers from David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSM), University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that a large number of HIV-positive individuals who feel stigmatised, reported poor access to healthcare and poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART), prescribed for HIV patients.

In fact, individuals who experienced high levels of such stigma were four times as likely as those who didn't to report poor access to medical care; they were three times as likely to report poor compliance with HIV medications.

"We were surprised to find that in our models, experiencing high levels of internalised HIV stigma was one of the strongest predictors of poor access to medical care, even after controlling for gender, race and ethnicity, income, insurance, since HIV diagnosis," said lead study investigator Jennifer Sayles, assistant professor of medicine at the DGSM.

The findings demonstrate the urgent need for more community dialogue, education and awareness about HIV and the stigma that surrounds the disease, says Sayles.

The two-year study focussed on 202 HIV-positive men and women in Los Angeles County, many of them minorities and many with limited incomes and limited education.

Participants completed anonymous surveys assessing internalised HIV stigma, self-reported access to medical care, their regular source of HIV care and ART adherence, says a DGSM release.

Overall, one-third of the participants reported experiencing high levels of stigma, and, on average, participants described experiencing or perceiving stigma slightly less frequently than "some of the time".

These findings were published in the October issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. (IANS)