Background Measuring retention in HIV primary care is complex as care includes multiple visits scheduled at varying intervals over time. We evaluated six commonly used retention measures in predicting viral load (VL) suppression and the correlation among measures. Methods Clinic-wide patient-level data from six academic HIV clinics were used for 12-months preceding implementation of the CDC/HRSA Retention in Care intervention. Six retention measures were calculated for each patient based upon scheduled primary HIV provider visits: count and dichotomous missed visits, visit adherence, 6-month gap, 4-month visit constancy, and the HRSA HAB retention measure. Spearman correlation coefficients and separate unadjusted logistic regression models compared retention measures to one another and with 12-month VL suppression, respectively. The discriminatory capacity of each measure was assessed with the c-statistic. Results Among 10,053 patients, 8,235 (82%) had 12-month VL measures, with 6,304 (77%) achieving suppression (VL<400 c/mL). All six retention measures were significantly associated (P<0.0001) with VL suppression (OR;95%CI, c-statistic): missed visit count (0.73;0.71–0.75,0.67), missed visit dichotomous (3.2;2.8–3.6,0.62), visit adherence (3.9;3.5–4.3,0.69), gap (3.0;2.6–3.3,0.61), visit constancy (2.8;2.5–3.0,0.63), HRSA HAB (3.8;3.3–4.4,0.59). Measures incorporating “no show” visits were highly correlated (Spearman coefficient=0.83–0.85), as were measures based solely upon kept visits (Spearman coefficient=0.72–0.77). Correlation coefficients were lower across these two groups of measures (Range=0.16–0.57). Conclusions Six retention measures displayed a wide range of correlation with one another, yet each measure had significant association and modest discrimination for VL suppression. These data suggest there is no clear gold standard, and that selection of a retention measure may be tailored to context.
Background Following HIV diagnosis and linkage to care, achieving and sustaining viral load (VL) suppression has implications for patient outcomes and secondary HIV prevention. We evaluated factors associated with expeditious VL suppression and cumulative VL burden among patients establishing outpatient HIV care. Methods Patients initiating HIV medical care from January 2007-October 2010 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and University of Washington were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards and linear regression models were used to evaluate factors associated with time to VL suppression (<50 copies/mL) and cumulative VL burden, respectively. Viremia copy-years (VCY), a novel area under the longitudinal VL curve measure, was used to estimate 2-year cumulative VL burden from clinic enrollment. Results Among 676 patients, 63% achieved VL<50 copies/mL in a median 308 days. In multivariable analysis, patients with more time-updated “no show” visits experienced delayed VL suppression (HR=0.83 per “no show” visit, 95%CI=0.76,0.91). In multivariable linear regression, visit non-adherence was independently associated with greater cumulative VL burden (log10VCY) during the first two years in care (Beta coefficient=0.11 per 10% visit non-adherence, 95%CI=0.04-0.17). Across increasing visit adherence categories, lower cumulative VL burden was observed (mean ± standard deviation log10 copy × years/mL); 0-79% adherence: 4.6 ± 0.8; 80-99% adherence: 4.3 ± 0.7; and 100% adherence: 4.1 ± 0.8 log10 copy × years/mL, respectively (P<0.01). Conclusions Higher rates of early retention in HIV care are associated with achieving VL suppression and lower cumulative VL burden. These findings are germane for a test and treat approach to HIV prevention.
Background Retention in care is important for all HIV-infected persons and is strongly associated with initiation of antiretroviral therapy and viral suppression. However, it is unclear how retention in care and age interact to effect viral suppression. We evaluated whether the association between retention and viral suppression differed by age at entry into care. Methods Cross-sectional analysis (2006-2010) involving 17,044 HIV-infected adults in 14 clinical cohorts across the U.S. and Canada. Patients contributed one year of data during their first full calendar year of clinical observation. Poisson regression examined associations between retention measures [U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), 6-month gap, and 3-month visit constancy] and viral suppression (HIV RNA ≤200 copies/mL) by age group: 18-29, 30-39, 40–49, 50–59, and ≥60 years old. Results Overall, 89% of patients were retained in care using the NHAS measure, 74% with the DHHS indicator, 85% did not have a 6-month gap, and 62% had visits in 3-4 quarters of the year; 54% achieved viral suppression. For each retention measure, the association with viral suppression was significant for only the younger age groups (18-29 and 30-39 years): 18-29 [adjusted prevalence ratio (APR)=1.33, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.03-1.70]; 30-39 (APR=1.23, CI=1.01-1.49); 40-49 (APR=1.06, CI=0.90-1.22); 50-59 (APR=0.92, CI=0.75-1.13); ≥60 years (APR=0.99, CI=0.63-1.56) using the NHAS measure as a representative example. Conclusions These results have important implications for improving viral control among younger adults, emphasizing the crucial role retention in care plays in supporting viral suppression in this population.
Chronic pain is common in persons with HIV and is often associated with psychiatric illness and substance abuse. Current literature links psychiatric illness and substance abuse with worse HIV outcomes; however, the relationship of chronic pain, alone and in the context of psychiatric illness and substance abuse, to outcomes in HIV has not been described. To develop this new area of inquiry, we propose an adapted biopsychosocial framework specifically for chronic pain in HIV. This framework will describe these relationships and serve as a conceptual framework for future investigations.
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