Abstract
Background
It is estimated that 1,295 per 100,000 are people living with HIV (PLWH) in New Haven, which is the second highest rate of HIV prevalence in Connecticut. Since 2009, New Haven has established the Ryan White (RW) HIV Care Continuum. The main goals of HIV care are early linkage to care, ART initiation, and HIV viral suppression. This study is designed to understand the trends and outcomes in newly diagnosed PLWH in New Haven County.
Methods
This study is a retrospective medical record review of all newly diagnosed RW eligible PLWH from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018. The data were collected in REDCap database and included demographics, HIV risk factor, presence of mental health and/or substance abuse disorder, date of diagnosis, date of initial visit, and ART initiation. Health outcomes such as AIDS at diagnosis and rate of viral suppression were evaluated. The data were then analyzed to show the trends over 10 years.
Results
From January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018 there were 420 newly diagnosed RW PLWH. Sixty-seven percent of those were male, 56% were non-white, 47% self-identified as Men who have Sex with Men (MSM), and 41% were heterosexual. Twenty-nine percent had AIDS-defining condition at the time of the diagnosis. Thirty-four percent of the 420 patients had a mental health and/or substance use disorder; 53% of those were MSM and 51% were non-white. Over the 10-year period, it was noted that the duration between date of HIV diagnosis and linkage to care as well as ART initiation decreased. This decline was associated with a substantial increase in viral suppression. The average time between the dates of HIV diagnosis and initial visit decreased from 269 days in 2009 to 13 days in 2018. Moreover, the average time between the dates of diagnosis and ART initiation dropped from 308 days in 2009 to 15 days in 2018. The 1-year HIV viral suppression rate subsequently doubled from 44% in 2009 to 87% in 2018 (P < 0.01).
Conclusion
The Ryan White HIV Care Continuum Model with emphasis on early linkage to care and ART initiation can have a significant impact on HIV viral suppression at a community level for newly diagnosed patients. Another important observation in this study was the alarming high rate of AIDS at diagnosis, which highlights the need for universal HIV testing, and early diagnosis.
Disclosures
All authors: No reported disclosures.
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