Site-Level Comprehensiveness of Care Is Associated with Individual Clinical Retention Among Adults Living with HIV in International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS, a Global HIV Cohort Collaboration, 2000-2016.

Retention in care (RIC) reduces HIV transmission and associated morbidity and mortality. We examined whether delivery of comprehensive services influenced individual RIC within the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) network. We collected site data through IeDEA assessments 1.0 (2000-2009) and 2.0 (2010-2016). Each site received a comprehensiveness score for service availability (1 = present, 0 = absent), with tallies ranging from 0 to 7. We obtained individual-level cohort data for adults with at least one visit from 2000 to 2016 at sites responding to either assessment. Person-time was recorded annually, with RIC defined as completing two visits at least 90 days apart in each calendar year. Multivariable modified Poisson regression clustered by site yielded risk ratios and predicted probabilities for individual RIC by comprehensiveness. Among 347,060 individuals in care at 122 sites with 1,619,558 person-years of follow-up, 69.8% of person-time was retained in care, varying by region from 53.8% (Asia-Pacific) to 82.7% (East Africa); RIC improved by about 2% per year from 2000 to 2016 (p = 0.012). Every site provided CD4+ count testing, and >90% of individuals received care at sites that provided combination antiretroviral therapy adherence measures, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, tuberculosis screening, HIV-related prevention, and community tracing services. In adjusted models, individuals at sites with more comprehensive services had higher probabilities of RIC (0.71, 0.74, and 0.83 for scores 5, 6, and 7, respectively; p = 0.019). Within IeDEA, greater site-level comprehensiveness of services was associated with improved individual RIC. Much work remains in exploring this relationship, which may inform HIV clinical practice and health systems planning.

Possible sex difference in latent tuberculosis infection risk among close tuberculosis contacts.

OBJECTIVES: More men than women develop and die of tuberculosis (TB). Fewer data exist on sex differences in latent TB infection (LTBI). We assessed for potential sex differences in LTBI acquisition among close TB contacts. METHODS: Regional Prospective Observational Research for TB-Brazil is an observational multi-center cohort of individuals with culture-confirmed pulmonary TB and their close contacts. Participants were enrolled from five sites in Brazil from June 2015 - June 2019. Close contacts were followed for 24 months after enrollment, with LTBI defined as a positive interferon-γ release assay (IGRA; QuantiFERON 3rd or 4th generation) at baseline or 6 months. We performed univariate, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression and propensity-score weighted models to assess odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for LTBI acquisition by birth sex among close contacts. RESULTS: Of 1093, 504 (46%) female close contacts were IGRA positive compared to 295 of 745 (40%) men. The unadjusted OR for IGRA positivity among women vs men was 1.31 (95% CI: 1.08-1.58). Bivariate adjustments yielded ORs in women vs men ranging from 1.19 to 1.33 (P-value range: <0.01-0.07). Multivariable regression and weighted models yielded similar ORs in women vs men, of 1.14 (95% CI: 0.92-1.41) and 1.15 (95% CI: 0.94-1.40), respectively. CONCLUSION: The point estimate for LTBI among close TB contacts in Brazil was higher in women, though less pronounced in multivariable models. If the sex difference in LTBI is confirmed in additional settings, studies of possible underlying differences in socio-behavioral factors or TB pathogenesis are warranted.

Using a report card to increase HIV screening in a large primary care group practice.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased efforts to promote HIV screening, a large proportion of the US population have never been tested for HIV. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether provider education and personalised HIV screening report cards can increase HIV screening rates within a large integrated healthcare system. DESIGN: This quality improvement study provided a cohort of primary care physicians (PCPs) a brief educational intervention and personalised HIV screening report cards with quarterly performance data. PARTICIPANTS: Participants included a volunteer cohort of 20 PCPs in the department of adult and family medicine. MAIN MEASURES: Per cent of empaneled patients screened for HIV by cohort PCPs compared with PCPs at the Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center (KPOAK) and the non-Oakland Medical Centers in Northern California region (Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC)). KEY RESULTS: Of the 20 participating PCPs, 13 were female and 7 were male. Thirteen were internal medicine and seven family medicine physicians. The average age was 40 years and average practice experience was 9 years after residency. During the 12-month intervention, the estimated increase in HIV screening in the cohort PCP group was 2.6% as compared with 1.9% for KPOAK and 1.8% for KPNC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that performance-related report cards are associated with modestly increased rates of HIV screening by PCPs.

Burden of Active Tuberculosis in an Integrated Health Care System, 1997-2016: Incidence, Mortality, and Excess Health Care Utilization.

Active tuberculosis (TB) is preventable. To quantify the potential value of prevention, we assessed active TB burden in a large health system from 1997 to 2016. Compared with a matched non-TB cohort, patients with active TB had higher mortality (8.4% vs 1.3%), mean number of hospitalizations (0.55 vs 0.10), emergency department visits (0.78 vs 0.28), and outpatient visits (14.6 vs 5.9) in the first year. TB-associated hospital use (mean number of hospitalizations and total length of stay) increased from 1997-2000 compared with 2013-2016 despite decreasing active TB incidence. Active TB is associated with high mortality and health care utilization and has remained stable or increased over time.

Association of Mortality and Years of Potential Life Lost With Active Tuberculosis in the United States.

Importance: Active tuberculosis (TB) disease leads to substantial mortality but is preventable through screening and treatment for latent TB infection. Early mortality after TB diagnosis (≤1 year) is well described, but delayed mortality (>1 year) among patients with active TB is poorly understood. Objective: To compare early and delayed mortality and years of potential life (YPL) lost among patients with active TB disease vs an age-, sex-, and year of diagnosis-matched comparison cohort without active TB disease. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study, conducted in the integrated health system of Kaiser Permanente Northern California, included patients with microbiologically confirmed active TB disease from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2017, and a control cohort matched by age, sex, and year of diagnosis. Multivariable models were used to adjust for demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients with active TB disease prior to 1997 were excluded. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2019, to January 31, 2020. Exposure: Microbiologically confirmed TB disease. Main Outcomes and Measures: Early (≤1 year after TB diagnosis) and delayed (>1 year after TB diagnosis) all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 2522 patients who had active TB from 1997 to 2017 were identified, with 17 166 person-years of follow-up. The comparison cohort included 100 880 persons with 735 726 person-years of follow-up. In the active TB and comparison cohorts, similar percentages of persons were male (56.3% vs 55.6%), aged 45 to 64 years (33.7% vs 33.7%), and aged 65 years or older (24.7% vs 24.7%). Both early mortality (7.0%) and delayed mortality (16.3%) were higher among patients with active TB disease compared with those without active TB disease (1.1% and 12.0%, respectively). Patients with active TB disease had a significantly higher risk for early (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 7.29; 95% CI, 6.08-8.73) and delayed (aHR, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.61-1.98) mortality compared with the comparison cohort (P < .001). Active TB disease was associated with an adjusted -7.0 (95% CI, -8.4 to -5.5) YPL lost compared with the comparison cohort. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, patients with active TB disease had significantly higher early and delayed all-cause mortality when adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics. These findings suggest that TB prevention through screening and treatment of latent TB infection could reduce mortality and YPL lost due to active TB disease.