HIV knowledge trends during an era of rapid antiretroviral therapy scale‐up: an analysis of 33 sub‐Saharan African countries

Introduction

Population‐level improvements in knowledge about HIV may reduce the stigma attached to HIV and ensure maximal uptake of HIV prevention initiatives. The extent to which levels of HIV knowledge in the general population of sub‐Saharan Africa have changed in the current era of antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale‐up remains unknown.

Methods

Data on HIV knowledge in the general population were drawn from the 2003 to 2015 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and AIDS Indicator Surveys (AIS) of 33 countries in sub‐Saharan Africa. The DHS/AIS contain five questions on HIV prevention and transmission that have been used by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as a core indicator of HIV knowledge. We created a composite HIV knowledge variable equal to the number of correct responses to these five questions; a participant was considered to have comprehensive knowledge of HIV (yes/no) if he/she answered all five questions correctly. We fitted negative binomial regression models with cluster‐correlated robust standard errors and country fixed effects, adjusted for socio‐demographic variables, specifying HIV knowledge as the dependent variable and year as the explanatory variable. As an alternative parameterization, we also fitted a multivariable linear probability model with cluster‐correlated robust standard errors and country fixed effects specifying comprehensive knowledge of HIV as the dependent variable.

Results

A total of 791,186 women and 395,891 men participating in 75 DHS/AIS were included in the analyses. The mean HIV knowledge score was 3.7 among women and 3.9 among men (p < 0.001). Only 35% of women and 41% of men (p < 0.001) had a comprehensive knowledge of HIV. We estimated a modest but statistically significant positive association between year of DHS/AIS and HIV knowledge (adjusted b = 0.005; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.001 to 0.009). Similarly, we estimated a statistically significant positive association between year of DHS/AIS and comprehensive knowledge of HIV (adjusted b = 0.011; 95% CI, 0.005 to 0.017), suggesting an approximately 1% relative increase per year in the percentage of the general population who possess a comprehensive knowledge of HIV.

Conclusions

There have been minimal improvements over time in HIV knowledge across sub‐Saharan Africa.

     

Ten‐year attrition and antiretroviral therapy response among HIV‐positive adults: a sex‐based cohort analysis from eight West African countries

IntroductionSex differences have already been reported in sub‐Saharan Africa for attrition and immunological response after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, but follow‐up was usually limited to the first two to three years after ART initiation. We evaluated sex differences on the same outcomes in the 10 years following ART initiation in West African adults.MethodsWe used cohort data of patients included in the IeDEA West Africa collaboration, who initiated ART between 2002 and 2014. We modelled no‐follow‐up and 10‐year attrition risks, and immunological response by sex using logistic regression analysis, survival analysis with random effect and linear mixed models respectively.ResultsA total of 71,283 patients (65.8% women) contributed to 310,007 person‐years of follow‐up in 16 clinics in eight West African countries. The cumulative attrition incidence at 10‐year after ART initiation reached 75% and 68% for men and women respectively. Being male was associated with an increased risk of no follow‐up after starting ART (5.1% vs. 4.0%, adjusted Odds Ratio: 1.25 [95% CI: 1.15 to 1.35]) and of 10‐year attrition throughout the 10‐year period following ART initiation: adjusted Hazard Ratios were 1.22 [95% CI: 1.17 to 1.27], 1.08 [95% CI: 1.04 to 1.12] and 1.04 [95% CI: 1.01 to 1.08] during year 1, years 2 to 4 and 5 to 10 respectively. A better immunological response was achieved by women than men: monthly CD4 gain was 30.2 and 28.3 cells/mL in the first four months and 2.6 and 1.9 cells/μL thereafter. Ultimately, women reached the average threshold of 500 CD4 cells/μL in their sixth year of follow‐up, whereas men failed to reach it even at the end of the 10‐year follow‐up period. The proportion of patients reaching the threshold was much higher in women than in men after 10 years since ART initiation (65% vs. 44%).ConclusionsIn West Africa, attrition is unacceptably high in both sexes. Men are more vulnerable than women on both attrition and immunological response to ART in the 10 years following ART initiation. Innovative tracing strategies that are sex‐adapted are needed for patients in care to monitor attrition, detect early high‐risk groups so that they can stay in care with a durably controlled infection.     

Incidence of active tuberculosis among people living with HIV receiving long‐term antiretroviral therapy in high TB/HIV burden settings in Thailand: implication for tuberculosis preventive therapy

IntroductionAmong high tuberculosis (TB) and HIV burden countries in Asia, tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) in people living with HIV (PLWH) has been underutilized despite its proven benefits independent of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Therefore, we determined the incidence of active TB and mortality among 9179 adult PLWH who attended and received ART from 15 tertiary care hospitals across Thailand.MethodsA retrospective study was conducted in 2018 using follow‐up data from 1999 to 2018. The primary endpoint was incident TB disease after ART initiation. Factors associated with TB incidence were analysed using competing risk regression. The Kaplan–Meier method was used to estimate mortality after ART initiation.ResultsDuring a median of 5.1 years of ART (IQR 2.2–9.5 years), 442 (4.8%) PLWH developed TB (TB/HIV), giving an overall incidence of 750 (95% CI 683–823) per 100,000 persons‐year of follow up (PYFU). In multivariate analysis, lower CD4 at ART initiation (≤100 cells/mm³, adjusted sub‐distribution hazard ratio [aSHR]: 2.08, 95% CI, 1.47–2.92; 101–200 cells/mm³, aSHR: 2.21, 95% CI, 1.54–3.16; 201–350 cells/mm³, aSHR: 1.59, 95% CI, 1.11–2.28 vs. >350 cells/mm³), male sex (aSHR: 1.40, 95% CI, 1.11–1.78), lower body weight (<50 kg, aSHR: 1.52, 95% CI, 1.17–1.95) and prior TB event (aSHR: 3.50, 95% CI, 2.72–4.52) were associated with TB incidence. PLWH with HIV RNA ≥50 copies/ml had 5–9 times higher risk of active TB disease higher than those with HIV RNA <50 copies/ml at the same CD4 level. The risk for developing TB was remarkably high during the initial period of ART (175,511 per 100,000 PYFU at<3 months) and was comparable to the general population after 10 years of ART (151 per 100,000 PYFU). TB/HIV had higher mortality (10% vs. 5%) and poorer HIV treatment outcomes: HIV RNA <50 copies/ml (63.8% vs. 82.8%), CD4 cells count (317 vs. 508 cells/mm³) at the most recent visit.ConclusionsIn this high TB burden country, TB incidence was remarkably high during the first few years after ART initiation and thereafter decreased significantly. Rapid ART initiation and appropriate TPT can be potential key interventions to tackle the TB epidemic and reduce mortality among PLWH in TB/HIV high burden settings.     

How community ART delivery may improve HIV treatment outcomes: Qualitative inquiry into mechanisms of effect in a randomized trial of community‐based ART initiation,monitoring and re‐supply (DO ART) in South Africa and Uganda

IntroductionUNAIDS fast track targets for ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 call for viral suppression in 95% of people using antiretroviral therapy (ART) to treat HIV infection. Difficulties in linking to care following a positive HIV test have impeded progress towards meeting treatment targets. Community‐based HIV services may reduce linkage barriers and have been associated with high retention and favourable clinical outcomes. We use qualitative data from The Delivery Optimization of Antiretroviral Therapy (DO ART) Study, a three‐arm randomized trial of community ART initiation, monitoring and re‐supply conducted in western Uganda and KwaZulu‐Natal South Africa, to identify mechanisms through which community ART delivery may improve treatment outcomes, defined as viral suppression in people living with HIV (PLHIV).MethodsWe conducted open‐ended interviews with a purposeful sample of 150 DO ART participants across study arms and study sites, from October 2016 to November 2019. Interviews covered experiences of: (1) HIV testing; (2) initiating and refilling ART; and (3) participating in the DO ART Study. A combined inductive content analytic and thematic approach was used to characterize mechanisms through which community delivery of ART may have contributed to viral suppression in the DO ART trial.ResultsThe analysis yielded four potential mechanisms drawn from qualitative data representing the perspectives and priorities of DO ART participants. Empowering participants to schedule, re‐schedule and select the locations of community‐based visits via easy phone contact with clinical staff is characterized as flexibility. Integration refers to combining the components of clinic‐based visits into single interaction with a healthcare provider. Providers” willingness to talk at length with participants during visits, addressing non‐HIV as well as HIV‐related concerns, is termed “a slower pace”. Finally, increased efficiency denotes the time savings and increased income‐generating opportunities for participants brought about by delivering services in the community.ConclusionsUnderstanding the mechanisms through which HIV service delivery innovations produce an effect is key to transferability and potential scale‐up. The perspectives and priorities of PLHIV can indicate actionable changes for HIV care programs that may increase engagement in care and improve treatment outcomes.     

Incidence and mortality of tuberculosis before and after initiation of antiretroviral therapy: an HIV cohort study in India

Introduction

India has the highest burden of tuberculosis (TB) in the world, but the epidemiology of HIV-associated TB is not well known.

Methods

We describe the incidence and the mortality of TB from HIV diagnosis to antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation (pre-ART group) and after ART initiation (on-ART group) in an HIV cohort study in Anantapur, India. Multivariable analysis of factors associated with TB was performed using competing risk regression and restricted cubic spline methods.

Results

A total of 4590 patients and 3133 person-years (py) of follow-up were included in the pre-ART group, and 3784 patients and 4756 py were included in the on-ART group. In the pre-ART group, the incidence of TB was high during the first month after HIV diagnosis and dropped nearly four times soon after. In the on-ART group, the incidence of TB increased after ART initiation reaching a peak in the third month. The probability of having TB within 30 months was 22.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 21.1–23.6) in the pre-ART group and 17.8% (95% CI, 16.3–19.3) in the on-ART group. In a multivariable analysis, women had a lower risk of TB in both groups. Poor socio-economical conditions were associated with an increased risk of TB in the pre-ART group, but not in the group on-ART. While the association between low CD4 counts and TB was strong in the pre-ART group, this association was weaker in the on-ART group, and the highest risk of TB was seen in those patients with CD4 counts around 110 cells/mm³. The cumulative incidence of mortality at 12 months in patients with TB was 29.6% (95% CI, 26.9–32.6) in pre-ART TB and 34.9% (95% CI, 31–39.1) in on-ART TB. Half deaths before ART initiation and two thirds of deaths after ART initiation occurred in patients with TB.

Conclusions

The high incidence and mortality of TB seen in this study underscore the urgent need to improve the prevention and diagnosis of HIV-associated TB in India. We found substantial differences between TB before and after ART initiation.     

Antiretroviral therapy and Kaposi’s sarcoma trends and outcomes among adults with HIV in Latin America

IntroductionKaposi’s sarcoma (KS) remains the most frequent malignancy in persons living with HIV (PWH) in Latin America. We examined KS trends and outcomes from Latin American clinical sites in the era of increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART).MethodsCohorts in Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Honduras, Argentina and Chile contributed clinical data of PWH ≥16 years old from 2000 to 2017, excluding patients with KS diagnosed before clinic enrolment. We compared KS incidence over time using multivariable incidence rate ratios. Predictors of KS before/at or after ART initiation and of mortality after KS were examined using Cox regression.ResultsOf 25 981 PWH, 481 had incident KS, including 200 ART‐naïve and 281 ART‐treated patients. From 2000 to 2017, the incidence of KS decreased from 55.1 to 3.0 per 1000 person‐years. In models adjusting for CD4 and other factors, the relative risk for KS decreased from 2000 to 2008. Since 2010, the adjusted risk of KS increased in the periods before and ≤90 days after ART initiation but decreased >90 days after ART. In addition to low CD4 and male‐to‐male sex, KS risk after ART was associated with age and history of other AIDS‐defining illnesses. Mortality after KS (approximately 25% after five years) was not associated with either year of KS diagnosis nor timing of diagnosis relative to ART initiation.ConclusionsKS incidence in Latin America has remained stable in recent years and risk is highest before and shortly after ART initiation. Early diagnosis of HIV and ART initiation remain critical priorities in the region.