HIV Infection In Denmark Research Articles

Primary health care: an opportunity for early identification of people living with undiagnosed HIV infection.

We aimed to determine the fraction of HIV-diagnosed individuals who had primary health care (PHC) contacts 3years prior to HIV diagnosis and whether the risk of HIV diagnosis and degree of immunodeficiency were associated with the frequency of visits or procedures performed. We used data from national registries to conduct a population-based nested case-control study. Cases were individuals diagnosed with HIV infection in Denmark from 1998 to 2016. Population controls were extracted from the general population matched 13:1 on gender and age. We used conditional logistic regression. As there was a statistically significant interaction, analyses were further stratified by gender and Danish/non-Danish origin. We identified 2784 cases and 36192 controls. Ninety-three per cent of cases and 88% of controls attended PHC at least once in the 3years prior to diagnosis, with a higher median number of visits to PHC (NVPC) for cases. We found a statistically significant positive association between NVPC and risk of subsequent HIV diagnosis in men and non-Danish women. A U-shaped association between NVPC and risk of HIV diagnosis among Danish women. No substantial association between NVPC and degree of immunodeficiency was found. Risk of HIV diagnosis and degree of immunodeficiency were weakly associated with type of procedures performed. For most HIV-infected individuals, there seem to be many opportunities for earlier diagnosis in PHC. In men and non-Danish women, the risk of HIV diagnosis but not the degree of immunodeficiency was related to NVPC. The results suggest that the type of medical procedure performed cannot not be used as a guide by the primary physician to indicate which patients to test.

Copenhagen comorbidity in HIV infection (COCOMO) study: a study protocol for a longitudinal, non-interventional assessment of non-AIDS comorbidity in HIV infection in Denmark.

BackgroundModern combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) has improved survival for people living with HIV (PLWHIV). Non-AIDS comorbidities have replaced opportunistic infections as leading causes of mortality and morbidity, and are becoming a key health concern as this population continues to age. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence and incidence of non-AIDS comorbidity among PLWHIV in Denmark in the cART era and to determine risk factors contributing to the pathogenesis. The study primarily targets cardiovascular, respiratory, and hepatic non-AIDS comorbidity.Methods/designThe Copenhagen comorbidity in HIV-infection (COCOMO) study is an observational, longitudinal cohort study. The study was initiated in 2015 and recruitment is ongoing with the aim of including 1500 PLWHIV from the Copenhagen area. Follow-up examinations after 2 and 10 years are planned. Uninfected controls are derived from the Copenhagen General Population Study (CGPS), a cohort study including 100,000 uninfected participants from the same geographical region. Physiological and biological measures including blood pressure, ankle-brachial index, electrocardiogram, spirometry, exhaled nitric oxide, transient elastography of the liver, computed tomography (CT) angiography of the heart, unenhanced CT of the chest and upper abdomen, and a number of routine biochemical analysis are uniformly collected in participants from the COCOMO study and the CGPS. Plasma, serum, buffy coat, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), urine, and stool samples are collected in a biobank for future studies. Data will be updated through periodical linking to national databases.DiscussionAs life expectancy for PLWHIV improves, it is essential to study long-term impact of HIV and cART. We anticipate that findings from this cohort study will increase knowledge on non-AIDS comorbidity in PLWHIV and identify targets for future interventional trials. Recognizing the demographic, clinical and pathophysiological characteristics of comorbidity in PLWHIV may help inform development of new guidelines and enable us to move forward to a more personalized HIV care.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02382822.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12879-016-2026-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Time trends for risk of severe age-related diseases in individuals with and without HIV infection in Denmark: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Whether the reported high risk of age-related diseases in HIV-infected people is caused by biological ageing or HIV-associated risk factors such as chronic immune activation and low-grade inflammation is unknown. We assessed time trends in age-standardised and relative risks of nine serious age-related diseases in a nationwide cohort study of HIV-infected individuals and population controls. We identified all HIV-infected individuals in the Danish HIV Cohort Study who had received HIV care in Denmark between Jan 1, 1995, and June 1, 2014. Population controls were identified from the Danish Civil Registration System and individually matched in a ratio of nine to one to the HIV-infected individuals for year of birth, sex, and date of study inclusion. Individuals were included in the study if they had a Danish personal identification number, were aged 16 years or older, and were living in Denmark at the time of study inclusion. Data for study outcomes were obtained from the Danish National Hospital Registry and the Danish National Registry of Causes of Death and were cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction and stroke), cancers (virus associated, smoking related, and other), severe neurocognitive disease, chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease, and osteoporotic fractures. We calculated excess and age-standardised incidence rates and adjusted incidence rate ratios of outcomes for time after HIV diagnosis, highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, and calendar time. The regression analyses were adjusted for age, sex, calendar time, and origin. We identified 5897 HIV-infected individuals and 53,073 population controls; median age was 36·8 years (IQR 30·6-44·4), and 76% were men in both cohorts. Dependent on disease, the HIV cohort had 55,050-57,631 person-years of follow-up and the population controls had 638,204-659,237 person-years of follow-up. Compared with the population controls, people with HIV had high excess and relative risk of all age-related diseases except other cancers. Overall, the age-standardised and relative risks of cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and severe neurocognitive disease did not increase substantially with time after HIV diagnosis or ART initiation. Except for chronic kidney diseases, the age-standardised and relative risks of age-related diseases did not increase with calendar time. Severe age-related diseases are highly prevalent in people with HIV, and continued attention and strategies for risk reduction are needed. The findings from our study do not suggest that accelerated ageing is a major problem in the HIV-infected population. Preben og Anna Simonsens Fond, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danish AIDS Foundation, Augustinus Foundation, and Odense University Hospitals Frie Fonds Midler.

Employment status in persons with and without HIV infection in Denmark: 1996-2011.

To estimate annual employment rates and disability retirement rates (DRRs) among HIV-infected individuals and population controls during the period 1996-2011. A population-based cohort study including all HIV-infected individuals born in Denmark and not reporting intravenous (i.v.) drug abuse as a route of HIV infection or diagnosed with hepatitis C infection (n = 2799) and 22,369 individually matched persons from the background population. Study inclusion was 1 January 1996 or HIV diagnosis, which ever came last. Data on employment status and disability pension were extracted from Danish national registries. Employment rate and DRR were estimated in each calendar year after study inclusion for the cohorts included before 1996 (pre-1996), 1996-1999 and 2000-2011. Employment rate in the year of study inclusion increased from 54.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 50.5-59.6] in the pre-1996 cohort to 74.6% (66.9-83.2) and 77.4% (72.8-82.2) in the 1996-1999 and 2000-2011 cohorts, respectively, compared with 85.9-87.2% in the comparison cohorts. Five years from study inclusion, employment rates were 56.1 (51.4-61.1), 66.2 (58.7-74.6) and 70.9% (65.0-77.3) in the pre-1996, 1996-1999 and 2000-2011 cohorts, respectively, compared with 82.5-85.6% in the comparison cohorts. Five years from study inclusion, DRRs were 32.3 (28.9-36.3) in the pre-1996 cohort and decreased to 17.8 (14.1-22.4) and 11.6% (9.4-14.4) in the 1996-1999 and 2000-2011 cohorts, respectively, compared with 5.1-7.2% in the comparison cohorts. After the introduction of HAART, employment rates have increased profoundly among HIV-infected individuals, but have remained lower than in the background population. During the same period, DRRs decreased among HIV-infected individuals, but still remained higher than in the background population.

Inpatient admissions and outpatient visits in persons with and without HIV infection in Denmark, 1995–2007

HAART has changed morbidity and mortality in the HIV-infected population dramatically. We aimed to estimate the use of healthcare facilities in HIV-infected patients after the introduction of HAART. This is a prospective nationwide cohort study. We identified all Danish HIV patients and a cohort of population controls matched on sex and date of birth. The study period was 1995-2007. We calculated inpatient admission rates and outpatient visit rates stratified by medical speciality and International Classification of Diseases-10 diagnose categories. Relative risks were computed. Four thousand, seven hundred and sixty HIV-infected patients and 23 800 population controls were identified. Overall inpatient admission rates [95% confidence interval (CI)] for HIV-infected patients decreased from 90 (88-93) to 57 (56-58)/100 person-years in the study period. The risk ratio (95% CI) fell from 6.2 (6.0-6.5) to 3.1 (3.1-3.2) predominantly due to reduced inpatient admission rates to departments of infectious diseases. The overall outpatient visit rates (95% CI) for the HIV-infected patients increased from 744 (737-751) to 877 (872-882)/100 person-years, mainly due to visits at departments other than infectious diseases. A marked increase in outpatient visit rates (95% CI) in the background population decreased the risk ratio from 16.5 (16.2-16.8) to 7.1 (7.0-7.2). We observed a decreased relative risk of inpatient admissions and outpatient visits due to cancers and a small increase in relative risk due to cardiovascular disease. After the introduction of HAART, the inpatient treatment of HIV-infected patients has decreased, especially at departments of infectious disease. In contrast, this population's use of outpatient facilities has increased in noninfectious disease specialities.

Survival of Persons with and without HIV Infection in Denmark, 1995–2005

The expected survival of HIV-infected patients is of major public health interest. To estimate survival time and age-specific mortality rates of an HIV-infected population compared with that of the general population. Population-based cohort study. All HIV-infected persons receiving care in Denmark from 1995 to 2005. Each member of the nationwide Danish HIV Cohort Study was matched with as many as 99 persons from the general population according to sex, date of birth, and municipality of residence. The authors computed Kaplan-Meier life tables with age as the time scale to estimate survival from age 25 years. Patients with HIV infection and corresponding persons from the general population were observed from the date of the patient's HIV diagnosis until death, emigration, or 1 May 2005. 3990 HIV-infected patients and 379,872 persons from the general population were included in the study, yielding 22,744 (median, 5.8 y/person) and 2,689,287 (median, 8.4 years/person) person-years of observation. Three percent of participants were lost to follow-up. From age 25 years, the median survival was 19.9 years (95% CI, 18.5 to 21.3) among patients with HIV infection and 51.1 years (CI, 50.9 to 51.5) among the general population. For HIV-infected patients, survival increased to 32.5 years (CI, 29.4 to 34.7) during the 2000 to 2005 period. In the subgroup that excluded persons with known hepatitis C coinfection (16%), median survival was 38.9 years (CI, 35.4 to 40.1) during this same period. The relative mortality rates for patients with HIV infection compared with those for the general population decreased with increasing age, whereas the excess mortality rate increased with increasing age. The observed mortality rates are assumed to apply beyond the current maximum observation time of 10 years. The estimated median survival is more than 35 years for a young person diagnosed with HIV infection in the late highly active antiretroviral therapy era. However, an ongoing effort is still needed to further reduce mortality rates for these persons compared with the general population.

Partner notification for HIV infection in Denmark: attitudes and preliminary results.

To examine attitudes, experience and preliminary results of partner notification (PN) for HIV infection in Denmark among the doctors who inform one of their patients about being HIV infected. The doctors who had reported to the national HIV surveillance unit about a new-identified HIV infected person, during a 9 months period, were searched for one year later. The traced doctors were interviewed. The results of the interview related to 102 out of 195 (52%) reports were compared between the 48 interviewed general practitioners (GPs) and the 33 interviewed hospital doctors (HDs). The proportion of traced reporting doctors were higher among GPs than among HDs. Both GPs and HDs found it difficult to give a positive HIV test result and wanted trained counsellors to work with them in the PN process. Less experience and fewer post-graduate courses about HIV may explain the GPs' lack of confidence to follow-up asymptomatic HIV positive patients. It was neither a routine for all the GPs or for all HDs to ask about patient behaviour nor to discuss safe sex with their index patients, and screening for other sexually transmitted diseases were seldomly performed. The numbers of partners notified, especially by the doctors were low. HIV reporting doctors in Denmark are motivated for PN. Educational programmes about counselling and care of HIV infected patients should, however, be offered at intervals, especially to GPs. The outcome of PN can only be measured to a certain level as long as exposed partners are neither obliged to be tested nor to be counselled and as long as information about counselling and testing can not be shared between doctors in different settings.

The Medical School. Stories of the medically macabre

OBJECTIVES: To examine attitudes, experience and preliminary results of partner notification (PN) for HIV infection in Denmark among the doctors who inform one of their patients about being HIV infected. METHOD: The doctors who had reported to the national HIV surveillance unit about a new-identified HIV infected person, during a 9 months period, were searched for one year later. The traced doctors were interviewed. The results of the interview related to 102 out of 195 (52%) reports were compared between the 48 interviewed general practitioners (GPs) and the 33 interviewed hospital doctors (HDs). The proportion of traced reporting doctors were higher among GPs than among HDs. RESULTS: Both GPs and HDs found it difficult to give a positive HIV test result and wanted trained counsellors to work with them in the PN process. Less experience and fewer post-graduate courses about HIV may explain the GPs9 lack of confidence to follow-up asymptomatic HIV positive patients. It was neither a routine for all the GPs or for all HDs to ask about patient behaviour nor to discuss safe sex with their index patients, and screening for other sexually transmitted diseases were seldomly performed. The numbers of partners notified, especially by the doctors were low. CONCLUSIONS: HIV reporting doctors in Denmark are motivated for PN. Educational programmes about counselling and care of HIV infected patients should, however, be offered at intervals, especially to GPs. The outcome of PN can only be measured to a certain level as long as exposed partners are neither obliged to be tested nor to be counselled and as long as information about counselling and testing can not be shared between doctors in different settings.