Ageing and mortality of persons with HIV: a novel data-driven approach

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and related disruptions led to a significant decline in HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2020. A previous analysis estimated 18% fewer diagnoses than expected among persons with HIV (PWH) acquiring infection in 2019 or earlier, suggesting that the decline in overall diagnoses cannot be attributed solely to decreased transmission. This analysis evaluates the progress made towards closing the 2020 diagnosis deficit in 2021. We apply previously developed methods analyzing 2021 diagnosis data from the National HIV Surveillance System to determine whether 2021 diagnosis levels of PWH infected pre-2020 are above or below the expected pre-COVID trends. Results are stratified by assigned sex at birth, transmission group, geographic region, and race/ethnicity. In 2021, HIV diagnoses returned to pre-COVID levels among all PWH acquiring infection 2011-2019. Among Hispanic/Latino PWH and male individuals, diagnoses returned to pre-COVID levels. White PWH, MSM, and PWH living in the south and northeast showed higher-than-expected levels of diagnosis in 2021. For the remaining populations, there were fewer HIV diagnoses in 2021 than expected. Although overall diagnoses among persons acquiring HIV pre-2020 returned to pre-COVID levels, the diagnosis gap observed in 2020 remained unclosed at the end of 2021. Fewer than expected diagnoses among certain populations indicate that COVID-19-related disruptions to HIV diagnosis trends remained in 2021. Although some groups showed higher-than-expected levels of diagnoses, such increases were smaller than corresponding 2020 decreases. Expanded testing programs designed to close these gaps are essential.

BackgroundSarcopenia is a pathophysiological process of aging, caused by reduction of muscle strength, mass and function and it is associated with an increased risk of falls, fractures, physical disability and...

BackgroundHepatitis c virus (HCV) eradication among persons with HIV (PWH) is alluring since DAAs efficacy is high regardless of HIV status and PWH in care are usually screened for HCV. Despite the potential, barriers to care have prevented many from achieving sustained virologic response (SVR). We performed a pharmacist-led campaign to reduce the proportion of PWH with active HCV and describe the barriers to care. MethodsThis retrospective review evaluated patients receiving care at a Ryan White-funded clinic from 07/2018 to 12/2020. Patients were eligible if HCV diagnosed ≥1 year and receiving HIV care. The primary endpoint was to compare the prevalence HCV before and after a pharmacy initiative to target the remaining patients at the clinic not treated during first 3 ½ year period of oral DAA therapy availability. Secondary analysis was to identify barriers to care, measure the proportion of patients in each step of the HCV care cascade, and determine predictors of SVR. Among barriers to care, inconsistent engagement was defined as patients with habitual missed appointments. Logistic regression and Chi-square tests were performed.Results46 of 1,100 PWH had active HCV for ≥1 year. Median age, years since HIV and HCV diagnoses were 58.5 years of age, 17 years, and 11.5 years, respectively. Most patients were male (70%), Black (61%), Latinx (28%), HCV genotype 1 (90%), had an HIV RNA < 200 copies/mL (72%), & had Medicaid (87%). 32/46 patients agreed to therapy, with all getting insurance approval and DAAs delivered. Glecaprevir/pibrentasvir (73%) was the preferred by payors, followed by sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (15%). Eight remained with active HCV and 19 achieved SVR. The prevalence rate dropped from 4.2% to 0.7% (P < 0.0001). Active drug use, inconsistent engagement, mental health disorder and nonadherence were initial barriers to care. After multivariate analysis, patients with inconsistent engagement continued to be less likely achieve SVR compared to those we remained consistently in care (aOR: 0.062, 95 CI: 0.009-0.421).HCV care cascade in PWH within a Ryan White-funded clinicActive HCV includes 46 patients with chronic HCV infection receiving HIV in care at clinic, DAA approval process describes patients agreeing to HCV treatment along a continuum of pending laboratory results or pending prior authorization requests, DAA procurement depicts patients that have received approval and delivery of medications, DAA initiation describes patients who started treatment (27 patients), and SVR documented defines patients with an undetectable HCV RNA 12 weeks after therapy (19 patients).ConclusionPharmacists can impact the burden of HCV among PWH receiving care. The HCV care cascade remains tied to the HIV continuum of care, with disengagement from care remaining an important rate-limiting step impeding micro-elimination.DisclosuresAll Authors: No reported disclosures

BackgroundAim of this study is to characterize socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic features of PWH currently in care in 61 Italian Infectious Diseases centers belonging to the ICONA cohort.Material and MethodsAll...

Background Seborrheic dermatitis is a common inflammatory skin condition which disproportionately impacts persons with HIV (PWH). Non-dermatologists, including primary care and HIV clinicians, are often the first providers to diagnose and manage inflammatory dermatoses. Data is lacking regarding the quality of management of such common dermatoses by non-dermatologist compared to dermatologic specialists. Methods We evaluated the treatment of and referral patterns for seborrheic dermatitis relative to accepted standards of care among outpatient dermatologists and non-dermatologists in a regional healthcare system. Using a cross-sectional design, we analyzed a random sample of 100 persons 18 years or older with a diagnosis of HIV and more than one visit to a regional primary care or HIV clinician with an ICD code for treatment of seborrheic dermatitis. Results Seborrheic dermatitis was the most common specific inflammatory dermatosis among PWH in the healthcare system. Non-dermatologists were significantly more likely to prescribe one medication compared to dermatologists (62.2% vs. 50.9%, p = 0.05). 28.9% of persons initially diagnosed by a non-dermatologist were referred to a dermatology specialist. When considering immediate initiation of treatment as optimal management, 33/45 (73.3%) of non-dermatologists had optimal management compared with 53/55 (96.4%) of dermatologists (p < 0.01). However, when considering referral as optimal management, then 86.7% of patients initially diagnosed by non-dermatologists were optimally managed. Discussion Seborrheic dermatitis remains a common issue among PWH in a multispeciality ambulatory setting. Non-dermatologists appear significantly less likely to provide optimal initial management which may affect quality of life given potential for delayed treatment in settings with limited specialists. Additional training should be provided to non-dermatologists to facilitate appropriate treatment of common inflammatory dermatological conditions.

Diagnoses of HIV in the United States decreased by 17% in 2020 due to COVID-related disruptions. The extent to which this decrease is attributable to changes in HIV testing versus HIV transmission is unclear. We seek to better understand this issue by analyzing the discrepancy in expected versus observed HIV diagnoses in 2020 among persons who acquired HIV between 2010 and 2019 because changes in diagnosis patterns in this cohort cannot be attributed to changes in transmission. We developed 3 methods based on the CD4-depletion model to estimate excess missed diagnoses in 2020 among persons with HIV (PWH) infected from 2010 to 2019. We stratified the results by transmission group, sex assigned at birth, race/ethnicity, and region to examine differences by group and confirm the reliability of our estimates. We performed similar analyses projecting diagnoses in 2019 among PWH infected from 2010 to 2018 to evaluate the accuracy of our methods against surveillance data. There were approximately 3100-3300 (approximately 18%) fewer diagnoses than expected in 2020 among PWH infected from 2010 to 2019. Females (at birth), heterosexuals, persons who inject drugs, and Hispanic/Latino PWH missed diagnoses at higher levels than the overall population. Validation and stratification analyses confirmed the accuracy and reliability of our estimates. The substantial drop in number of previously infected PWH diagnosed in 2020 suggests that changes in testing played a substantial role in the observed decrease. Levels of missed diagnoses differed substantially across population subgroups. Increasing testing efforts and innovative strategies to reach undiagnosed PWH are needed to offset this diagnosis gap. These analyses may be used to inform future estimates of HIV transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BackgroundMechanisms underlying the rising burden of non-AIDS comorbidities (NACM) among persons with HIV (PWH) remain unclear. Microvasculopathy may link HIV-related chronic inflammation and premature multimorbidity, similar to diabetes and other conditions characterized by inflammatory end-organ damage. We used a novel retinovascular imaging tool, optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), to evaluate the retina as a convenient assessment of microvascular health among PWH.MethodsData from 4 PWH who underwent OCTA (Zeiss CIRRUSTM HD-OCT 5000) at the Emory Eye Center from 2018-2020 were analyzed. Demographics, HIV-specific indices and NACM were summarized at the time of OCTA. Images were reviewed qualitatively and metrics of microvascular health – the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area and vessel density (VD) from the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) – were calculated by ImageJ.ResultsThe median age was 39 years, 100% were male, 100% were black, 25% had ever smoked, and median body mass index was 25.4 kg/m2. Median time since HIV diagnosis was 19 years, all patients had a history of clinical AIDS, including 2 with prior cytomegalovirus retinitis. Median current CD4 count was 84 cells/mm3, 100% were prescribed antiretroviral therapy and 50% had HIV viral suppression. Prevalent NACM included (each n=1): hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, chronic kidney disease and asthma.Qualitatively, all 7 of the eyes evaluated by OCTA had evidence of microvascular pathology: 2 eyes demonstrated diffuse capillary nonperfusion, while the remaining 5 eyes had focal areas of nonperfusion around the FAZ. Mean FAZ area was 0.31 (SD±0.10) mm2 and mean VD of the SCP was 43.9% (SD±10.9%). Retinovascular pathology identified by fundoscopy and OCTA is shown in the figure.Figure. Retinal imaging of a PWH with bilateral retinal vasculitis. Fundus photos of the right (A) and left (C) eyes show retinal vasculitis highlighted by the red arrows. OCTA of the right (B) and left (D) maculae (3X3 scan Zeiss AngioplexTM) show the FAZ areas outlined in yellow, both of irregular contour. OCTA of the left macula demonstrates areas of significant flow voids marked by the asterisks and the FAZ area is enlarged.ConclusionAmong patients with longstanding HIV, OCTA identified microvascular abnormalities in all retinae examined. Retinovascular evaluation by OCTA is a feasible, non-invasive technique for assessing microvascular health and findings support additional study in a larger, more diverse group of PWH. Screening tools targeting microvasculopathy among PWH may aid in earlier detection of those at greatest risk of NACM and allow for aggressive risk-modification strategies.DisclosuresAll Authors: No reported disclosures

BackgroundUpdated estimates of the productivity losses per HIV infection due to premature HIV mortality are needed to help quantify the economic burden of HIV and inform cost-effectiveness analyses.MethodsWe used the human capital approach to estimate the productivity loss due to HIV mortality per HIV infection in the United States. We incorporated published data on age-specific annual productivity, life expectancy at HIV diagnosis, life years lost from premature death among persons with HIV (PWH), the number of years from HIV infection to diagnosis, and the percentage of deaths in PWH attributable to HIV. For the base case, we used 2018 life expectancy data for all PWH in the United States. We also examined scenarios using life expectancy in 2010 and life expectancy for cohorts on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We conducted sensitivity analyses to understand the impact of key input parameters.ResultsWe estimated the base case overall average productivity loss due to HIV mortality per HIV infection at $65,300 in 2022 US dollars. The base case results showed a 45% decrease in the estimated productivity loss compared to the results when applying life expectancy data from 2010. Productivity loss was 83% lower for cohorts of PWH on ART compared to the base case scenario. Results were sensitive to assumptions about percentage of deaths attributable to HIV and heterogeneity in age at death.ConclusionThis study provides valuable insights into the economic impact of HIV mortality, illustrating reductions in productivity losses over time due to advancements in treatments.DisclaimerThe findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.FundingThis work was done as regular official duties of the authors as employees of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Conflicts of InterestAll authors report no conflicts of interest.Previous PresentationPresented in part as a poster presentation at the ISPOR 2024 Conference, May 5-8, 2024, Atlanta, GA.HighlightsUpdated estimates of productivity losses per HIV infection due to premature HIV mortality can help assess the total economic burden of HIV in the United States.This study estimates productivity losses per HIV infection for overall, by sex, and by varying ages of HIV infection.Advancement in treatment has contributed to significant reduction in productivity losses due to premature HIV mortality in the United States over the past decade.

BackgroundUpdated estimates of the productivity losses per HIV infection due to premature HIV mortality are needed to help quantify the economic burden of HIV and inform cost-effectiveness analyses.MethodsWe used the human capital approach to estimate the productivity loss due to HIV mortality per HIV infection in the United States, discounted to the time of HIV infection. We incorporated published data on age-specific annual productivity, life expectancy at HIV diagnosis, life-years lost from premature death among persons with HIV (PWH), the number of years from HIV infection to diagnosis, and the percentage of deaths in PWH attributable to HIV. For the base case, we used 2018 life expectancy data for all PWH in the United States. We also examined scenarios using life expectancy in 2010 and life expectancy for cohorts on antiretroviral therapy (ART). We conducted sensitivity analyses to understand the impact of key input parameters.ResultsWe estimated the base-case overall average productivity loss due to HIV mortality per HIV infection at $65,300 in 2022 US dollars. The base-case results showed a 45% decrease in the estimated productivity loss compared with the results when applying life expectancy data from 2010. Productivity loss was 83% lower for cohorts of PWH on ART compared with the base-case scenario. Results were sensitive to assumptions about percentage of deaths attributable to HIV and heterogeneity in age at death.ConclusionThis study provides valuable insights into the economic impact of HIV mortality, illustrating reductions in productivity losses over time due to advancements in treatments.HighlightsUpdated estimates of productivity losses per HIV infection due to premature HIV mortality can help assess the total economic burden of HIV in the United States.This study estimates productivity losses per HIV infection for overall, by sex, and by varying ages of HIV infection.Advancement in treatment has contributed to a significant reduction in productivity losses due to premature HIV mortality in the United States over the past decade.

Sustained attention and vigilance deficits associated with HIV and a history of methamphetamine dependence

Studies on the incidence of COVID-19 among persons with HIV (PWHs) present varied results. Few studies have investigated the impact of COVID-19 infection on health and socioeconomic factors or COVID-19 stigma. We sought to measure the incidence and severity of COVID-19 infection among a cohort of PWHs, characterize associated risk factors and impact, and document perceptions of COVID-19-related stigma. Data for this cross-sectional study come from the COVID-19 survey of participants in the DC Cohort longitudinal study from October 30, 2020, through December 31, 2022. Survey results were linked to electronic health records, including HIV laboratory test results and COVID test results. We conducted analyses comparing demographic, socioeconomic, HIV measures, and stigma among those with and without self-reported COVID-19. Of 1972 survey respondents, 17% self-reported COVID-19 infection, with the greatest incidence in the Omicron wave of the pandemic. We found statistically significant differences by age, employment status, essential worker status, education, and household income. Longer duration of HIV diagnosis was associated with greater incidence of COVID-19. PWHs who were overweight or obese had a greater incidence of COVID-19 compared with those who were not. Over 40% of PWHs with COVID-19 reported experiencing at least 1 form of COVID-19-related stigma. We observed a high incidence of COVID-19 infection among PWHs in DC. Furthermore, a substantial proportion of PWHs with COVID-19 reported experiencing COVID-19-related stigma. These findings add to the existing literature on COVID-19 coinfection among PWHs and highlight the need for awareness and support for those experiencing COVID-19 stigma.

Mental health conditions are common among persons with HIV (PWH). An understanding of factors associated with prescription medication use for these conditions and clinical impact of the prescription medications may improve care of mental health disorders in PWH. Psychotropic medication use was examined among PWH within the AIDS Clinical Trials Group A5322 (HAILO) study. Multivariable logistic models and Cox regression models estimated the association between psychotropic medications (any/none) with baseline and incident slow gait (>1 s/m) and neurocognitive impairment (NCI) for more than 4 years. Of 1035 participants, the median age was 51 years.81% were men, 30% black, non-Hispanic, and 20% Hispanic. Psychotropic medication use was similar between men (34%) and women (38%; P = 0.19). PWH using psychotropic medications had greater odds of baseline slow gait {odds ratio 1.61, [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.23 to 2.10]; P < 0.001}. Men but not women using psychotropic medications had an increased risk of developing slow gait [hazard ratio 1.85; (1.29 to 2.65) vs 0.77; (CI: 0.35 to 1.68), P interaction = 0.045]. The sex-specific odds ratios for medication use and NCI were qualitatively but not statistically different [men: 1.79; (1.14-2.80); women: 1.27; (0.56-2.90); P interaction = 0.47]. Psychotropic medication use was associated with an increased risk of incident NCI [hazard ratio 2.18; (95% CI: 1.23 to 3.84), P = 0.007] in both men and women. Psychotropic medications are associated with impairment in functional outcomes of aging, with a greater risk of baseline NCI and incident slow gait among men. Further investigation is needed to optimize outcomes in PWH and prescription of psychotropic medications among both men and women.

"Data to Care" (D2C) is a public health strategy that uses surveillance and other data to improve continuity of HIV care for persons with HIV (PWH) by identifying those who are in need of medical care or other services and facilitating linkage to these services. The primary goal of D2C is to increase the number of PWH who are engaged in care and virally suppressed. Data to Care can be implemented using several approaches. Surveillance-based D2C is usually initiated by health departments, using HIV surveillance and other data to identify those not in care. Health care providers may also initiate D2C by identifying patients who may have fallen out of care and working collaboratively with health departments to investigate, locate, and relink the patients to medical care or other needed services. Although D2C is a relatively new strategy, health department D2C programs have reported both promising results (eg, improved surveillance data quality and successful linkage to or re-engagement in care for PWH) and challenges (eg, incomplete or inaccurate data in surveillance systems, barriers to data sharing, and limitations of existing data systems). Data to Care is expected to enable health departments to move closer toward achieving national HIV prevention goals. However, additional information on appropriate implementation practices at each step of the D2C process is needed. This JAIDS Special Supplement explores how CDC funding to state health departments (eg, technical assistance and demonstration projects), and partnerships across federal agencies, are advancing our knowledge of D2C.

To determine how aging impacts healthcare utilization in persons with HIV (PWH) compared with persons without HIV (PWoH). Matched case-control study. We studied Medicaid recipients in the United States, aged 18-64 years, from 2001 to 2012. We matched each of 270 074 PWH to three PWoH by baseline year, age, gender, and zip code. Outcomes were hospital and nursing home days per month (DPM). Comorbid condition groups were cardiovascular disease, diabetes, liver disease, mental health conditions, pulmonary disease, and renal disease. We used linear regression to examine the joint relationships of age and comorbid conditions on the two outcomes, stratified by sex at birth. We found small excesses in hospital DPM for PWH compared with PWoH. There were 0.03 and 0.07 extra hospital DPM for female and male individuals, respectively, and no increases with age. In contrast, excess nursing home DPM for PWH compared with PWoH rose linearly with age, peaking at 0.35 extra days for female individuals and 0.4 extra days for male individuals. HIV-associated excess nursing home DPM were greatest for persons with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health conditions, and renal disease. For PWH at age 55 years, this represents an 81% increase in the nursing home DPM for male individuals, and a 110% increase for female individuals, compared PWoH. Efforts to understand and interrupt this pronounced excess pattern of nursing home DPM among PWH compared with PWoH are needed and may new insights into how HIV and comorbid conditions jointly impact aging with HIV.

To pilot test an infographic-based health communication intervention that our team rigorously designed and explore whether its implementation leads to better health outcomes among Latino persons with HIV (PWH). Latino PWH (N = 30) living in New York City received the intervention during health education sessions at 3 study visits that occurred approximately 3 months apart. At each visit, participants completed baseline or follow-up assessments and laboratory data were extracted from patient charts. We assessed 6 outcomes (HIV-related knowledge, self-efficacy to manage HIV, adherence to antiretroviral therapy, CD4 count, viral load, and current and overall health status) selected according to a conceptual model that describes pathways through which communication influences health outcomes. We assessed changes in outcomes over time using quantile and generalized linear regression models controlling for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) research pause and new patient status (new/established) at the time of enrollment. Most participants were male (60%) and Spanish-speaking (60%); 40% of participants identified as Mixed Race/Mestizo, 13.3% as Black, 13.3% as White, and 33.3% as "other" race. Outcome measures generally improved after the second intervention exposure. Following the third intervention exposure (after the COVID-19 research pause), only the improvements in HIV-related knowledge and current health status were statistically significant. Our infographic-based health communication intervention may lead to better health outcomes among Latino PWH, but larger trials are needed to establish efficacy. From this work, we contribute suggestions for effective infographic use for patient-provider communication to enhance patient education in clinical settings.