IntroductionWe assessed trends in HIV Care Continuum outcomes associated with delayed disease progression and reduced transmission within a large Latin American cohort over a decade: clinical retention, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) use and viral suppression (VS).MethodsAdults from Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology clinical cohorts in seven countries contributed data between 2003 and 2012. Retention was defined as two or more HIV care visits annually, >90 days apart. cART was defined as prescription of three or more antiretroviral agents annually. VS was defined as HIV‐1 RNA <200 copies/mL at last measurement annually. cART and VS denominators were subjects with at least one visit annually. Multivariable modified Poisson regression was used to assess temporal trends and examine associations between age, sex, HIV transmission mode, cohort, calendar year and time in care.ResultsAmong 18,799 individuals in retention analyses, 14,380 in cART analyses and 13,330 in VS analyses, differences existed between those meeting indicator definitions versus those not by most characteristics. Retention, cART and VS significantly improved from 2003 to 2012 (63 to 77%, 74 to 91% and 53 to 82%, respectively; p<0.05, each). Female sex (risk ratio (RR)=0.97 vs. males) and injection drug use as HIV transmission mode (RR=0.83 vs. male sexual contact with males (MSM)) were significantly associated with lower retention, but unrelated with cART or VS. MSM (RR=0.96) significantly decreased the probability of cART compared with heterosexual transmission.ConclusionsHIV Care Continuum outcomes improved over time in Latin America, though disparities for vulnerable groups remain. Efforts must be made to increase retention, cART and VS, while engaging in additional research to sustain progress in these settings.
Background: Having 90% of patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) and achieving an undetectable viral load (VL) is 1 of the 90: 90: 90 by 2020 targets. In this global analysis, we investigated the proportions of adult and paediatric patients with VL suppression in the first 3 years after ART initiation. Methods: Patients from the IeDEA cohorts who initiated ART between 2010 and 2014 were included. Proportions with VL suppression (<1000 copies/ mL) were estimated using (1) strict intention to treat (ITT)-loss to follow-up (LTFU) and dead patients counted as having detectable VL; and (2) modified ITT-LTFU and dead patients were excluded. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of viral suppression at 1 year after ART initiation using modified ITT. Results: A total of 35,561 adults from 38 sites/16 countries and 2601 children from 18 sites/6 countries were included. When comparing strict with modified ITT methods, the proportion achieving VL suppression at 3 years from ART initiation changed from 45.1% to 90.2% in adults, and 60.6% to 80.4% in children. In adults, older age, higher CD4 count preART, and homosexual/bisexual HIV exposure were associated with VL suppression. In children, older age and higher CD4 percentage pre-ART showed significant associations with VL suppression. Conclusions: Large increases in the proportion of VL suppression in adults were observed when we excluded those who were LTFU or had died. The increases were less pronounced in children. Greater emphasis should be made to minimize LTFU and maximize patient retention in HIV-infected patients of all age groups. ; U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development ; National Cancer Institute ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA ; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, USA ; Health Resources and Services Administration, USA ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada ; Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care ; Government of Alberta, Canada ; Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute ; Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing ; UNSW, Kirby Inst, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia ; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Epidemiol, Baltimore, MD USA ; Fdn Huesped, Buenos Aires, DF, Argentina ; Univ Chile, Sch Med, Santiago, Chile ; Fdn Arriaran, Santiago, Chile ; Univ Cape Town, Sch Publ Hlth & Family Med, Cape Town, South Africa ; Childrens Hosp 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ; Univ Cape Town, Dept Paediat & Child Hlth, Cape Town, South Africa ; Univ Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada ; YRGCARE Med Ctr, Madras, Tamil Nadu, India ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Pediat Infect Dis Div, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; Johns Hopkins Univ, Dept Med, Div Infect Dis, Baltimore, MD USA ; Univ Stellenbosch, Dept Med, Div Infect Dis, Cape Town, South Africa ; Tygerberg Hosp, Cape Town, South Africa ; Univ Bern, Inst Social & Prevent Med, Bern, Switzerland ; Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Pediat Infect Dis Div, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo, Brazil ; NCI: U01AI035004 ; NCI: U01AI035039 ; NCI: U01AI035040 ; NCI: U01AI035041 ; NCI: U01AI035042 ; NCI: U01AI037613 ; NCI: U01AI037984 ; NCI: U01AI038855 ; NCI: U01AI038858 ; NCI: U01AI042590 ; NCI: U01AI068634 ; NCI: U01AI068636 ; NCI: U01AI069432 ; NCI: U01AI069434 ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA: CDC-200-2006-18797 ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, USA: CDC-200-2015-63931 ; Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, USA: 90047713 ; Health Resources and Services Administration, USA: 90051652 ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada: CBR-86906 ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada: CBR-94036 ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada: HCP-97105 ; Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada: TGF-96118 ; NCI: P30AI027757 ; NCI: P30AI027763 ; NCI: P30AI027767 ; NCI: P30AI036219 ; NCI: P30AI050410 ; NCI: P30AI094189 ; NCI: P30AI110527 ; NCI: P30MH62246 ; NCI: R01AA016893 ; NCI: R01CA165937 ; NCI: R01DA004334 ; NCI: R01DA011602 ; NCI: R01DA012568 ; NCI: R24AI067039 ; NCI: U01AA013566 ; NCI: U01AA020790 ; NCI: U01AI1031834 ; NCI: U01AI034989 ; NCI: U01AI034993 ; NCI: U01AI034994 ; NCI: M01RR000052 ; NCI: U54MD007587 ; NCI: UL1RR024131 ; NCI: UL1TR000004 ; NCI: UL1TR000083 ; NCI: UL1TR000454 ; NCI: UM1AI035043 ; NCI: Z01CP010214 ; NCI: Z01CP010176 ; NCI: U01AI069907 ; NCI: U01AI069923 ; NCI: U01AI069924 ; NCI: U01AI069918 ; NCI: F31DA037788 ; NCI: G12MD007583 ; NCI: K01A1093197 ; NCI: K23EY013707 ; NCI: K24DA000432 ; NCI: K24AI065298 ; NCI: KL2TR000421 ; NCI: N02CP055504 ; NCI: U01AI103390 ; NCI: U01AI103397 ; NCI: U01AI103401 ; NCI: U01AI103408 ; NCI: U01DA036935 ; NCI: U01HD032632 ; NCI: U10EY008057 ; NCI: U10EY008052 ; NCI: U10EY008067 ; NCI: U24AA020794 ; Web of Science
In: Bulletin of the World Health Organization: the international journal of public health = Bulletin de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé, Band 93, Heft 8, S. 529-539
BackgroundDiagnosis of primary HIV infection (PHI) has important clinical and public health implications. HAART initiation at this stage remains controversial.MethodsOur objective was to identify predictors of disease progression among Argentinean seroconverters during the first year of infection, within a multicentre registry of PHI‐patients diagnosed between 1997 and 2008. Cox regression was used to analyze predictors of progression (LT‐CD4 < 350 cells/mm3, B, C events or death) at 12 months among untreated patients.ResultsAmong 134 subjects, 74% presented with acute retroviral syndrome (ARS). Seven opportunistic infections (one death), nine B events, and 10 non‐AIDS defining serious events were observed. Among the 92 untreated patients, 24 (26%) progressed at 12 months versus three (7%) in the treated group (p = 0.01). The 12‐month progression rate among untreated patients with ARS was 34% (95% CI 22.5‐46.3) versus 13% (95% CI 1.1‐24.7) in asymptomatic patients (p = 0.04). In univariate analysis, ARS, baseline LT‐CD4 < 350 cells/mm3, and baseline and six‐month viral load (VL) > 100,000 copies/mL were associated with progression. In multivariate analysis, only ARS and baseline VL > 100,000 copies/mL remained independently associated; HR: 8.44 (95% CI 0.97‐73.42) and 9.44 (95% CI 1.38‐64.68), respectively.ConclusionsIn Argentina, PHI is associated with significant morbidity. HAART should be considered in PHI patients with ARS and high baseline VL to prevent disease progression.
IntroductionLatinos living with HIV in the Americas share a common ethnic and cultural heritage. In North America, Latinos have a relatively high rate of new HIV infections but lower rates of engagement at all stages of the care continuum, whereas in Latin America antiretroviral therapy (ART) services continue to expand to meet treatment needs. In this analysis, we compare HIV treatment outcomes between Latinos receiving ART in North America versus Latin America.MethodsHIV‐positive adults initiating ART at Caribbean, Central and South America Network for HIV (CCASAnet) sites were compared to Latino patients (based on country of origin or ethnic identity) starting treatment at North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA‐ACCORD) sites in the United States and Canada between 2000 and 2011. Cox proportional hazards models compared mortality, treatment interruption, antiretroviral regimen change, virologic failure and loss to follow‐up between cohorts.ResultsThe study included 8400 CCASAnet and 2786 NA‐ACCORD patients initiating ART. CCASAnet patients were younger (median 35 vs. 37 years), more likely to be female (27% vs. 20%) and had lower nadir CD4 count (median 148 vs. 195 cells/µL, p<0.001 for all). In multivariable analyses, CCASAnet patients had a higher risk of mortality after ART initiation (adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) 1.61; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.32 to 1.96), particularly during the first year, but a lower hazard of treatment interruption (AHR: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.50), change to second‐line ART (AHR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.51 to 0.62) and virologic failure (AHR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.57).ConclusionsHIV‐positive Latinos initiating ART in Latin America have greater continuity of treatment but are at higher risk of death than Latinos in North America. Factors underlying these differences, such as HIV testing, linkage and access to care, warrant further investigation.
IntroductionMaps are powerful tools for visualization of differences in health indicators by geographical region, but multi‐country maps of HIV indicators do not exist, perhaps due to lack of consistent data across countries. Our objective was to create maps of four HIV indicators in North, Central, and South American countries.MethodsUsing data from the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA‐ACCORD) and the Caribbean, Central, and South America network for HIV epidemiology (CCASAnet), we mapped median CD4 at presentation for HIV clinical care, proportion retained in HIV primary care, proportion prescribed antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the proportion with suppressed plasma HIV viral load (VL) from 2010 to 2012 for North, Central, and South America. The 15 Canadian and US clinical cohorts and 7 clinical cohorts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru represented approximately 2–7% of persons known to be living with HIV in these countries.ResultsStudy populations were selected for each indicator: median CD4 at presentation for care was estimated among 14,811 adults; retention was estimated among 87,979 adults; ART use was estimated among 84,757 adults; and suppressed VL was estimated among 51,118 adults. Only three US states and the District of Columbia had a median CD4 at presentation >350 cells/mm3. Haiti, Mexico, and several states had >85% retention in care; lower (50–74%) retention in care was observed in the US West, South, and Mid‐Atlantic, and in Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. ART use was highest (90%) in Mexico. The percentages of patients with suppressed VL in the US South and Northeast were lower than in most of Central and South America.ConclusionsThese maps provide visualization of gaps in the quality of HIV care and allow for comparison between and within countries as well as monitoring policy and programme goals within geographical boundaries.