E. Turner Overton

Disparities in prevalence of key chronic diseases by gender and race/ethnicity among antiretroviral-treated HIV-infected adults in the US.

BACKGROUND Certain sociodemographic subgroups of HIV-infected patients may experience more chronic disease than others due to behavioural risk factors, advanced HIV disease or complications from extended use of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), but recent comparative data are limited. METHODS We studied HIV-infected adult patients in care during 2006-2010 who had been prescribed ≥ 6 months of cART. We analysed the prevalence of selected key chronic conditions and polymorbidity (having 2 or more out of 10 key conditions) by gender and race/ethnicity. RESULTS Of the 3,166 HIV-infected patients (median age 47 years, CD4⁺ T-cell count 496 cells/mm³, duration of cART use 6.8 years), 21% were female, 57% were non-Hispanic White and over half were current or former tobacco smokers. The five most frequent conditions among women (median age 45 years) were dyslipidaemia (67.3%), hypertension (57.4%), obesity (31.7%), viral hepatitis B or C coinfection (29.0%) and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc; 27.3%). The five most frequent conditions in men (median age 47 years) were dyslipidaemia (81.2%), hypertension (54.4%), low HDLc (41.1%), elevated triglycerides (32.3%) and elevated non-HDLc (26.8%). In multivariable analyses, Hispanic patients had higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes than White patients; Black patients had higher prevalence of obesity and hypertension but lower rates of lipid abnormalities. Of all patients, 73.7% of women and 66.8% of men had polymorbidity, with no evidence of disparities by race/ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS Among contemporary cART-treated HIV-infected adults, chronic conditions and polymorbidity were common, underscoring the importance of chronic disease prevention and management among ageing HIV-infected patients.

Pain is independently associated with impaired physical function in HIV-infected patients.

INTRODUCTION Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in the current treatment era can achieve normal life expectancies but experience a high degree of medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Impaired physical function and pain, often in the context of mood disorders and substance abuse, are common in HIV-infected patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of pain, a modifiable condition, to functional impairment in HIV-infected patients, independent of mood disorders and substance abuse. METHODS Participants in a prospective cohort of HIV-infected patients at the University of Alabama at Birmingham were included. Patient-reported outcome measures were used to cross-sectionally assess pain and physical function (EuroQOL), mood disorders (PHQ), and substance abuse (ASSIST). Univariate and multivariable models were built with pain as the principal independent variable of interest and three domains of physical function (mobility, self-care, and usual activities) as outcomes. Covariates included mood, substance abuse, age, race, sex, insurance status, HIV transmission risk factor, and CD4+ T-cell count. RESULTS Among 1,903 participants, 693 (37%) reported pain; 509 (27%) had a mood disorder; and 157 (8.4%) reported current substance abuse. In multivariable models, pain was independently associated with increased odds of impairment in all three domains of physical function investigated-mobility (aOR 10.5, 95% CI 7.6-14.6), self-care (aOR 4.1, 95% CI 2.2-7.4), and usual activities (aOR 5.4, 95% CI 4.0-7.4). DISCUSSION Pain was associated with substantially increased odds of impairment in physical function. Pain should be an important consideration in HIV primary care. Interventions to address pain and impaired physical function should be investigated.

Serostatus disclosure among adults with HIV in the era of HIV therapy.

Serostatus disclosure is an important component of secondary HIV prevention with potential benefits for both the individual by experiencing increased social support and society by reducing HIV transmission risk behaviors. This cross-sectional study assessed disclosure patterns to sex partners, family members, and friends by sociodemographic and HIV-related factors among an urban, Midwestern U.S. HIV clinic population (n = 809); a majority of whom were African American and male with a mean age of 41 years. Almost three quarters (n = 596) of the sample was currently receiving HIV therapy, with 68% (n = 404) successfully suppressing their HIV viral loads. Among sexually activity individuals, 97% reported disclosing their serostatus to sex partners. This high rate of disclosure to sex partners suggests that social desirability may play a role in this self-reported measure. Approximately half of the sample (n = 359) disclosed to at least one family member and 60% (n = 474) disclosed to at least one friend. Disclosing to family members occurred more often among participants who were unemployed and endorsed depressive disorder symptoms (p < 0.05 for all). Disclosing to friends occurred more frequently among women, Caucasians and those who completed higher levels of education (p < 0.001 for all). HIV disclosure and disease severity were unassociated. Given the chronic nature of HIV care, additional research is needed to develop interventions to facilitate timely disclosure of HIV serostatus.

Persistent HIV-related stigma among an outpatient US clinic population:

Summary Despite advancements in the public’s understanding of HIV infection, felt stigma towards individuals living with HIV persists. Stigma has been associated with adverse health outcomes, including poor adherence to care, and increased participation in HIV transmission risk behaviours. We evaluated the level of felt stigma and its relationship to other psychosocial and medical factors among a sample of 201 individuals with HIV engaged in care. The overall mean stigma score, as measured by the Reece Stigma Scale, was 21.7 (SD 8.7). In univariate analysis, felt stigma scores were higher among women, African Americans, younger participants, and individuals with less education. Higher felt stigma scores were also found among individuals who reported having fair to poor overall health, moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety, and those with a current diagnosis of alcohol dependence, generalised anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, pain disorder, and current smokers. Higher felt stigma scores were independently associated with individuals with anxiety symptoms. These analyses highlight that stigma persists among individuals with HIV and may play an important role in HIV care. The relationship between psychiatric disorders and psychosocial factors highlights an opportunity to develop interventions that will address these common comorbidities and reduce stigma.

Metabolic Consequences of HIV: Pathogenic Insights

With the advances in antiretroviral therapy (ART), HIV infection has been transformed into a chronic medical condition that can be effectively managed like diabetes or hypertension. For HIV care providers, the focus of care for many patients has shifted from prevention of opportunistic infection and AIDS-related conditions to age-related cardiometabolic comorbidities, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, and frailty. Numerous reports have highlighted that these diseases are occurring at an earlier age among HIV-infected persons. However, there is an ongoing debate regarding the role of HIV infection, ART, and other factors that may underlie the accelerated occurrence of these diseases. Herein, we review the epidemiology of the US HIV epidemic with regards to several metabolic comorbidities and address mechanisms that likely contribute to the current nature of HIV disease.

Current Practices of Screening for Incident Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection Among HIV-Infected, HCV-Uninfected Individuals in Primary Care

BACKGROUND Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-uninfected patients are at risk for incident HCV infection, but little is known about screening practices for incident HCV among HIV-infected individuals in HIV primary care clinics. METHODS We used data from the Center for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) to investigate historical trends in screening for incident HCV infection among HIV-infected patients who were HCV-uninfected at enrollment in care. We used descriptive measures and Poisson regression to identify factors associated with screening for HCV infection (using HCV antibody or RNA), performed temporal analyses to assess changes in screening over time, and investigated the frequency with which elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were followed by diagnostic HCV testing. RESULTS Among 17 090 patients registered at CNICS sites between 2000 and 2011, 14 534 (85%) received HCV antibody screening within 3 months of enrolling in care, and 9077 met all of the inclusion criteria. Only 55.6% ever received additional HCV screening. HCV screening increased over time, but not uniformly at all sites. Only 26.7% of first-time ALT elevations to >100 IU/L were followed up within 12 months by HCV antibody or RNA testing. CONCLUSIONS Although most HIV-infected patients were screened for prevalent HCV infection at enrollment in care, only half who were HCV uninfected were screened again. Screening varied between sites, even when controlling for demographics and risk behaviors. Patients with new ALT elevations to >100 IU/L were seldom assessed for incident HCV infection. Guidelines are needed to help HIV providers know whom to screen, how frequently to screen, and which screening test to use.

Bone alterations associated with HIV.

HIV infection and initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) have been consistently associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD), with growing evidence linking HIV to an increased risk of fracture. This is especially concerning with the expanding number of older persons living with HIV. Interestingly, recent data suggest that HIV-infected children and youth fail to achieve peak BMD, possibly increasing their lifetime risk of fracture. Elucidating the causes of the bone changes in HIV-positive persons is challenging because of the multifactorial nature of bone disease in HIV, including contribution of the virus, immunosuppression, ART toxicity, and traditional osteoporosis risk factors, such as age, lower weight, tobacco, and alcohol use. Thus, practitioners must recognize the risk of low BMD and fractures and appropriately screen patients for osteoporosis if risk factors exist. If fractures do occur or elevated fracture risk is detected through screening, treatment with bisphosphonate medications appears safe and effective in the HIV + population.

Dysregulation of Systemic and Mucosal Humoral Responses to Microbial and Food Antigens as a Factor Contributing to Microbial Translocation and Chronic Inflammation in HIV-1 Infection.

HIV-1 infection is associated with an early and profound depletion of mucosal memory CD4+ T cells, a population that plays an indispensable role in the regulation of isotype switching and transepithelial transport of antibodies. In this study, we addressed whether the depletion of CD4+ T cell in HIV-1-infected individuals results in altered humoral responses specific to antigens encountered at mucosal surfaces. Comprehensive protein microarray of systemic humoral responses to intestinal microbiota demonstrated reduced IgG responses to antigens derived from Proteobacteria and Firmicutes but not Bacteroidetes. Importantly, intestinal secretions of antiretroviral therapy-treated HIV-1-infected individuals exhibited a significant elevation of IgM levels and decreased IgA/IgM and IgG/IgM ratios of antibodies specific to a variety of microbial and food antigens. The presented findings indicate reduced competence of mucosal B cells for class switch recombination from IgM to other isotypes limiting their capacity to react to changing antigenic variety in the gut lumen. Decreased availability of microbiota-specific IgA and IgG may be an important factor contributing to the translocation of microbial antigens across the intestinal mucosal barrier and their systemic dissemination that drives chronic inflammation in HIV-1-infected individuals.

Psychiatric Diagnoses among an HIV-Infected Outpatient Clinic Population

As individuals with HIV infection are living longer, the management of psychiatric disorders has increasingly been incorporated into comprehensive care. Individuals were recruited from an outpatient HIV clinic to assess the prevalence and related associations of current psychiatric disorders and biomarkers. Of the 201 participants who completed the interviews, the median age was 43.5 years, and the majority was male and African American. Most were receiving HIV therapy and 78% of those had achieved virologic suppression. Prevalent psychiatric diagnoses included major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety, and agoraphobia. Alcohol and cocaine/crack abuse and dependence were common substance use disorders. Current receipt of HIV therapy was less common among those diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder. Agoraphobia was the only disorder associated with unsuppressed viral load. Psychiatric and substance use disorders are highly prevalent among an urban HIV clinic population, although we identified few associations between psychiatric diagnoses and HIV diseases status.

Incidence and Predictors of Abnormal Anal Cytology Findings Among HIV-Infected Adults Receiving Contemporary Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND Anal cancer rates are higher for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adults than for uninfected adults. Limited published data exist characterizing the incidence of precursor lesions detected by anal cytology. METHODS The Study to Understand the Natural History of HIV/AIDS in the Era of Effective Therapy was a prospective cohort of 700 HIV-infected participants in 4 US cities. At baseline and annually thereafter, each participant completed a behavioral questionnaire, and healthcare professionals collected anorectal swabs for cytologic examination and human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and genotyping. RESULTS Among 243 participants with negative baseline results of anal cytology, 37% developed abnormal cytology findings (incidence rate, 13.9 cases/100 person-years of follow-up; 95% confidence interval [CI], 11.3-16.9) over a median follow-up duration of 2.1 years. Rates among men having sex with men, among women, and among men having sex with women were 17.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 13.9-22.7), 9.4 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 5.6-14.9), and 8.9 cases/person-years of follow-up (95% CI, 4.8-15.6), respectively. In multivariable analysis, the number of persistent high-risk HPV types (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.17; 95% CI, 1.01-1.36), persistent high-risk HPV types except 16 or 18 (aHR, 2.46; 95% CI, 1.31-4.60), and persistent types 16 or 18 (aHR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.78-8.54) remained associated with incident abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of abnormal anal cytology findings was high and more likely to develop among persons with persistent high-risk HPV.