Excess burden of age-associated comorbidities among people living with HIV in British Columbia, Canada: a population-based cohort study

ObjectivesAs people living with HIV (PLWH) live longer, morbidity and mortality from non-AIDS comorbidities have emerged as major concerns. Our objective was to compare prevalence trends and age at diagnosis of nine chronic age-associated comorbidities between individuals living with and without HIV.Design and settingThis population-based cohort study used longitudinal cohort data from all diagnosed antiretroviral-treated PLWH and 1:4 age-sex-matched HIV-negative individuals in British Columbia, Canada.ParticipantsThe study included 8031 antiretroviral-treated PLWH and 32 124 HIV-negative controls (median age 40 years, 82% men). Eligible participants were ≥19 years old and followed for ≥1 year during 2000 to 2012.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe presence of non-AIDS-defining cancers, diabetes, osteoarthritis, hypertension, Alzheimer’s and/or non-HIV-related dementia, cardiovascular, kidney, liver and lung diseases were identified from provincial administrative databases. Beta regression assessed annual age-sex-standardised prevalence trends and Kruskal-Wallis tests compared the age at diagnosis of comorbidities stratified by rate of healthcare encounters.ResultsAcross study period, the prevalence of all chronic age-associated comorbidities, except hypertension, were higher among PLWH compared with their community-based HIV-negative counterparts; as much as 10 times higher for liver diseases (25.3% vs 2.1%, p value<0.0001). On stratification by healthcare encounter rates, PLWH experienced most chronic age-associated significantly earlier than HIV-negative controls, as early as 21 years earlier for Alzheimer’s and/or dementia.ConclusionsPLWH experienced higher prevalence and earlier age at diagnosis of non-AIDS comorbidities than their HIV-negative controls. These results stress the need for optimised screening for comorbidities at earlier ages among PLWH, and a comprehensive HIV care model that integrates prevention and treatment of chronic age-associated conditions. Additionally, the robust methodology developed in this study, which addresses concerns on the use of administrative health data to measure prevalence and incidence, is reproducible to other settings.

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CTN 328: immunogenicity outcomes in people living with HIV in Canada following vaccination for COVID-19 (HIV-COV): protocol for an observational cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054208 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. e054208

Author(s):

Cecilia T Costiniuk ◽

Joel Singer ◽

Marc-André Langlois ◽

Iva Kulic ◽

Judy Needham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Guideline Development ◽

Vaccine Dose ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Similar Time ◽

Dosing Strategies ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Negative Controls ◽

Hiv Negative

IntroductionMost existing vaccines require higher or additional doses or adjuvants to provide similar protection for people living with HIV (PLWH) compared with HIV-uninfected individuals. Additional research is necessary to inform COVID-19 vaccine use in PLWH.Methods and analysisThis multicentred observational Canadian cohort study will enrol 400 PLWH aged >16 years from Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver. Subpopulations of PLWH of interest will include individuals: (1) >55 years of age; (2) with CD4 counts <350 cells/mm3; (3) with multimorbidity (>2 comorbidities) and (4) ‘stable’ or ‘reference’ PLWH (CD4 T cells >350 cells/mm3, suppressed viral load for >6 months and <1 comorbidity). Data for 1000 HIV-negative controls will be obtained via a parallel cohort study (Stop the Spread Ottawa), using similar time points and methods. Participants receiving >1 COVID-19 vaccine will attend five visits: prevaccination; 1 month following the first vaccine dose; and at 3, 6 and 12 months following the second vaccine dose. The primary end point will be the percentage of PLWH with COVID-19-specific antibodies at 6 months following the second vaccine dose. Humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, and the interplay between T cell phenotypes and inflammatory markers, will be described. Regression techniques will be used to compare COVID-19-specific immune responses to determine whether there are differences between the ‘unstable’ PLWH group (CD4 <350 cells/mm3), the stable PLWH cohort and the HIV-negative controls, adjusting for factors believed to be associated with immune response. Unadjusted analyses will reveal whether there are differences in driving factors associated with group membership.Ethics and disseminationResearch ethics boards at all participating institutions have granted ethics approval for this study. Written informed consent will be obtained from all study participants prior to enrolment. The findings will inform the design of future COVID-19 clinical trials, dosing strategies aimed to improve immune responses and guideline development for PLWH.Trial registration numberNCT04894448.

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Incidence of diabetes mellitus among people living with and without HIV in British Columbia, Canada between 2001 and 2013: a longitudinal population-based cohort study

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2021-048744 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. e048744

Author(s):

Andreea Bratu ◽

Taylor McLinden ◽

Katherine Kooij ◽

Monica Ye ◽

Jenny Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Diabetes Mellitus ◽

British Columbia ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Population Based ◽

Incidence Rates ◽

Trend Test ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Age Related ◽

Hiv Serostatus ◽

The Impact

IntroductionPeople living with HIV (PLHIV) are increasingly at risk of age-related comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus (DM). While DM is associated with elevated mortality and morbidity, understanding of DM among PLHIV is limited. We assessed the incidence of DM among people living with and without HIV in British Columbia (BC), Canada, during 2001–2013.MethodsWe used longitudinal data from a population-based cohort study linking clinical data and administrative health data. We included PLHIV who were antiretroviral therapy (ART) naïve at baseline, and 1:5 age-sex-matched persons without HIV. All participants had ≥5 years of historic data pre-baseline and ≥1 year(s) of follow-up. DM was identified using the BC Ministry of Health’s definitions applied to hospitalisation, physician billing and drug dispensation datasets. Incident DM was identified using a 5-year run-in period. In addition to unadjusted incidence rates (IRs), we estimated adjusted incidence rate ratios (IRR) using Poisson regression and assessed annual trends in DM IRs per 1000 person years (PYs) between 2001 and 2013.ResultsA total of 129 PLHIV and 636 individuals without HIV developed DM over 17 529 PYs and 88,672 PYs, respectively. The unadjusted IRs of DM per 1000 PYs were 7.4 (95% CI 6.2 to 8.8) among PLHIV and 7.2 (95% CI 6.6 to 7.8) for individuals without HIV. After adjustment for confounding, HIV serostatus was not associated with DM incidence (adjusted IRR: 1.03, 95% CI 0.83 to 1.27). DM incidence did not increase over time among PLHIV (Kendall trend test: p=0.9369), but it increased among persons without HIV between 2001 and 2013 (p=0.0136).ConclusionsAfter adjustment, HIV serostatus was not associated with incidence of DM, between 2001 and 2013. Future studies should investigate the impact of ART on mitigating the potential risk of DM among PLHIV.

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Malaria and intestinal parasite co-infection and its association with anaemia among people living with HIV in Buea, Southwest Cameroon: A community-based retrospective cohort study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0245743 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. e0245743

Author(s):

Sorelle Mekachie Sandie ◽

Irene Ule Ngole Sumbele ◽

Martin Mih Tasah ◽

Helen Kuokuo Kimbi

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Intestinal Parasites ◽

Significant Risk ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Viral Load Suppression ◽

Community Based ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Negative

Background Both malaria and intestinal parasites are endemic in Cameroon, and their co-infection can be of great impact on anaemia among people living with HIV (PLWH). This community-based retrospective cohort study determined the prevalence and association of infections with anaemia in PLWH and HIV-negative individuals in Buea, Cameroon from March to August 2019. Methods The study population comprised of 190 PLWH and 216 consenting HIV-negative individuals from the Buea community. Participants were examined clinically, the collected blood sample was used for malaria parasite (MP) detection, HIV diagnosis and haemoglobin (Hb) measurement while stool samples were examined for the detection of intestinal parasites (IPs). Proportions were compared using Pearson’s Chi-square test and association of anaemia with independent variables was evaluated using logistic regression analysis. Results Out of the 406 participants, MP, IPs and MP/IP co-infection prevalences were 15.5%, 13.0% and 3.0% respectively. PLWH had a higher prevalence of MP (16.3%, P = 0.17), IPs (23.7%, P ˂ 0.001) and MP/IPs co-infection (3.7%, P = 0.04) when compared with HIV-negative participants. Similarly, PLWH had significantly lower mean haemoglobin value (11.10 ± 1.54 g/dL) than their HIV-negative counterparts (12.45 ± 2.06 g/dL). Also, PLWH co-infected with MP and IPs were observed to have a significantly lower mean haemoglobin value (10.6 ± 1.21 g/dL). PLWH had a significantly (P ˂ 0.001) higher prevalence of mild (56.8%), moderate (18.4%) and severe (1.6%) anaemia when compared with HIV-negative counterparts. The significant risk factors associated with anaemia included being febrile (P = 0.03), MP-infected only (P = 0.001), HIV-infected only (P < 0.001), having dual (P < 0.001) or triple-infections (P = 0.03). Conclusion Malaria and intestinal parasites remain public health concerns among PLWH and anaemia as a serious haematological abnormality gets exacerbated even with the viral load suppression. Hence, routine medical check-ups among PLWH are recommended.

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Depression, lifestyle factors and cognitive function in people living with HIV and comparable HIV-negative controls

HIV Medicine ◽

10.1111/hiv.12714 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 274-285 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

D De Francesco ◽

J Underwood ◽

E Bagkeris ◽

M Boffito ◽

FA Post ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Function ◽

Lifestyle Factors ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Negative Controls ◽

Hiv Negative

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Electrocardiographic and echocardiographic abnormalities in urban African people living with HIV in South Africa

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0244742 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. e0244742

Author(s):

Geert V. T. Roozen ◽

Ruchika Meel ◽

Joyce Peper ◽

William D. F. Venter ◽

Roos E. Barth ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Viral Load ◽

Left Ventricular Mass ◽

Qt Interval ◽

Left Ventricular ◽

Hiv Positive ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Living With Hiv ◽

Negative Controls ◽

Hiv Negative

Background Studies from high income countries report that HIV-positive people have an impaired systolic and diastolic cardiac function compared to HIV-negative people. It is unclear if results can be translated directly to the Sub-Saharan Africa context. This study assesses electro- and echocardiographic characteristics in an urban African population, comparing HIV-positive people (treated and not yet treated) with HIV-negative controls. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in Johannesburg, South Africa. We enrolled HIV-positive participants from three randomized controlled trials that had recruited participants from routine HIV testing programs. HIV-negative controls were recruited from the community. Data were collected on demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, medical history and electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics. Results In total, 394 HIV-positive participants and 153 controls were enrolled. The mean age of HIV-positive participants was 40±9 years (controls: 35±10 years), and 34% were male (controls: 50%). Of HIV-positive participants 36% were overweight or obese (controls: 44%), 23% had hypertension (controls: 28%) and 12% were current smoker (controls: 37%). Median time since HIV diagnosis was 6.0 years (IQR 2.3–10.0) and median treatment duration was 4.0 years (IQR 0.0–8.0), 50% had undetectable viral load. The frequency of anatomical cardiac abnormalities was low and did not differ between people with and without HIV. We observed no relation between HIV or anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and systolic or diastolic heart function. There was an association between ART use and corrected QT interval: +11.8 ms compared to HIV-negative controls (p<0.01) and +18.9 ms compared to ART-naïve participants (p = 0.01). We also observed a higher left ventricular mass index in participants on ART (+7.8 g/m2, p<0.01), but this association disappeared after adjusting for CD4 cell count, viral load and HIV-duration. Conclusion The low number of major cardiac abnormalities in this relatively young, well managed urban African HIV-positive population is reassuring. The increase in corrected QT interval and left ventricular mass may contribute to higher cardiac mortality and morbidity in people living with HIV in the long term.

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Trends in HIV care cascade engagement among diagnosed people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada: A retrospective, population-based cohort study

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0210096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. e0210096 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

James Wilton ◽

Juan Liu ◽

Ashleigh Sullivan ◽

Beth Rachlis ◽

Alex Marchand-Austin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cohort Study ◽

Population Based ◽

Hiv Care ◽

People Living With Hiv ◽

Hiv Care Cascade ◽

Care Cascade ◽

Living With Hiv

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Risk of active tuberculosis in migrants diagnosed with cancer: a retrospective cohort study in British Columbia, Canada

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-037827 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. e037827

Author(s):

Divjot S Kumar ◽

Lisa A Ronald ◽

Kamila Romanowski ◽

Caren Rose ◽

Hennady P Shulha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort Study ◽

Retrospective Cohort ◽

Population Based ◽

Active Tuberculosis ◽

Administrative Databases ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Cancer Type ◽

Ltbi Screening

ObjectivesTo describe the association between types of cancer and active tuberculosis (TB) risk in migrants. Additionally, in order to better inform latent TB infection (LTBI) screening protocols, we assessed proportion of active TB cases potentially preventable through LTBI screening and treatment in migrants with cancer.DesignPopulation-based, retrospective cohort study.SettingBritish Columbia (BC), Canada.Participants1 000 764 individuals who immigrated to Canada from 1985 to 2012 and established residency in BC at any point up to 2015.Primary and secondary outcome measuresUsing linked health administrative databases and disease registries, data on demographics, comorbidities, cancer type, TB exposure and active TB diagnosis were extracted. Primary outcomes included: time to first active TB diagnoses, and risks of active TB following cancer diagnoses which were estimated using Cox extended hazard regression models. Potentially preventable TB was defined as active TB diagnosed >6 months postcancer diagnoses.ResultsActive TB risk was increased in migrants with cancer ((HR (95% CI)) 2.5 (2.0 to 3.1)), after adjustment for age, sex, TB incidence in country of origin, immigration classification, contact status and comorbidities. Highest risk was observed with lung cancer (HR 11.2 (7.4 to 16.9)) and sarcoma (HR 8.1 (3.3 to 19.5)), followed by leukaemia (HR 5.6 (3.1 to 10.2)), lymphoma (HR 4.9 (2.7 to 8.7)) and gastrointestinal cancers (HR 2.7 (1.7 to 4.4)). The majority (65.9%) of active TB cases were diagnosed >6 months postcancer diagnosis.ConclusionSpecific cancers increase active TB risk to varying degrees in the migrant population of BC, with approximately two-thirds of active TB cases identified as potentially preventable.

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