Objectives. To determine rate and factors associated with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births to women with HIV. Methods. Prospective data were collected from 183 pregnant women with HIV in an urban HIV prenatal clinic, 2000–2011. An SGA birth was defined as less than the 10th or 3rd percentile of birth weight distribution based upon cut points developed using national vital record data. Bivariate analysis utilized chi-squared and t-tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Results. The prevalence of SGA was 31.2% at the 10th and 12.6% at the 3rd percentile. SGA at the 10th (OR 2.77; 95% CI, 1.28–5.97) and 3rd (OR 3.64; 95% CI, 1.12–11.76) percentiles was associated with cigarette smoking. Women with CD4 count >200 cells/mm3 at the first prenatal visit were less likely to have an SGA birth at the 3rd percentile (OR 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10–0.86). Women taking NNRTI were less likely to have an SGA infant at the 10th (OR 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10–0.75) and 3rd (OR 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03–0.91) percentiles compared to those women on PIs. Conclusions. In this cohort with high rates of SGA, severity of HIV disease, not ART, was associated with SGA births after adjusting for sociodemographic, medication, and disease severity.
The aim of the study was to assess the median time between HIV diagnosis and entry into primary HIV medical care in a large urban area and to assess the potential individual, diagnosing facility, and community level factors influencing entry into care. One thousand two hundred and sixty-six individuals diagnosed with HIV in Philadelphia between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2006 were followed until entry into care through 15 June 2007. Time to entry into care was calculated as a survival time variable and was defined as the time in months between the date of HIV diagnosis and the date more than 3 weeks after diagnosis when a CD4 cell count or percentage and/or HIV viral load were obtained. The median time to entry into care for all individuals was 8 months, with a range of 1-26 months. Factors associated with delayed entry into care included age more than 40 years [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.75-0.97] and diagnosis as an inpatient in the hospital (HR = 0.37; 95% CI = 0.37-0.57). Factors associated with earlier entry into care included Hispanic ethnicity (HR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.05-1.84), male sex with men as HIV transmission risk factor (HR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.03-1.56), and residence in a census tract with a high poverty rate (HR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.22-2.30). Individuals newly diagnosed with HIV in Philadelphia demonstrated marked delays in accessing care highlighting the tremendous need for interventions to improve overall linkage. These interventions should especially be targeted at those aged more than 40 years and those diagnosed in the hospital.
Background Stigma around hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is an important and understudied barrier to HCV prevention, treatment, and elimination. To date, no validated instrument exists to measure patients' experiences of HCV stigma. This study aimed to revise the Berger (2001) HIV stigma scale and evaluate its psychometric properties among patients with HCV infection.
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