National Hospitalization Rates and In-Hospital Mortality Rates of HIV-related Opportunistic Infections in the United States, 2011-2018.

BACKGROUND: HIV-related opportunistic infections (OIs) cause substantial morbidity and mortality among people with HIV (PWH). US hospitalization and in-hospital mortality rates associated with OIs have not been published using data from the past decade. METHODS: We analyzed the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for the years 2011 through 2018. We used sociodemographic, financial, and hospital-level variables and identified hospitalizations for PWH and OI diagnoses. Using survey-weighted methods, we estimated all OI-related US hospitalization rates and in-hospital mortality per 100,000 PWH and modeled associated factors using survey-based multivariable logistic regression techniques. FINDINGS: From 2011-2018, there were an estimated 1,710,164 (95% CI 1,659,566-1,760,762) hospital discharges for PWH with 154,430 (95% CI 148,669-159,717; 9.2%) associated with an OI, of which 9,336 (95% CI 8,813-9,857; 6.0%) resulted in in-hospital mortality. Variables associated with higher odds of OI-related hospitalizations (compared to without an OI) included younger age (Likelihood Ratio (LR) p < 0.001), male sex (LR p < 0.001), non-white race/ethnicity (LR p < 0.001) and being uninsured (LR p < 0.001). Higher OI-related mortality was associated with older age (LR p < 0.001), male sex (LR p = 0.001), Hispanic race/ethnicity (LR p < 0.001), and being uninsured (LR p = 0.009). The OI-related hospitalization rate fell from 2,725.3 (95% CI 2,266.9-3,183.7) per 100,000 PWH in 2011 to 1,647.3 (95% CI 1,492.5-1,802.1) in 2018 (p < 0.001), but the proportion of hospitalizations with mortality was stable (5.9% in 2011 and 2018). INTERPRETATION: Our findings indicate an ongoing need for continued funding of HIV testing, health insurance for all PWH, OI screening initiatives, review of current prophylaxis guidelines, and recruitment of more HIV clinicians.

Three-Year Follow-up of PositiveLinks: Higher Use of mHealth Platform Associated with Sustained HIV Suppression.

PositiveLinks (PL) is a mHealth platform to support care engagement by people with HIV (PWH). Daily reminders prompt the user to report medication adherence, mood, and daily stress. Higher response rate to PL check-ins has been associated with better suppression of viral load over 6-18 months. We conducted a retrospective chart review for a three-year period collecting demographic information, average mood and stress scores, and all viral loads obtained in usual patient care. We performed multivariable logistic regression modeling to identify factors associated with loss of viral load suppression and a time-to-event survival analysis until first unsuppressed viral load stratified by PL usage. Of the 513 PWH included, 103 had at least one episode of viral non-suppression. Low users of PL were more likely to have an unsuppressed viral load with an adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) of 5.8 (95% CI 3.0-11.5, p < 0.001). Protective factors included older age (aOR 0.96; 95% CI 0.93-0.98, p = 0.003) and income above the federal poverty level (FPL) (aOR 0.996; 95% CI 0.995-0.998, p < 0.001). High PL use was also associated with better viral load suppression (VLS) over time (p < 0.0001 ((aHR) of 0.437 (95% CI 0.290-0.658, p < 0.001)) after adjusting for age and FPL. High stress scores were related to subsequent loss of viral suppression in an exploratory analysis. High check-in response rate on the PL app, older age, and higher income are associated with sustained VLS over time. Conversely, lack of response to check-ins or increased reported stress may signal a need for additional support.

The Effect of IL-6 Inhibitors on Mortality Among Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of interleukin-6 inhibitors (IL-6i) in ameliorating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains uncertain. METHODS: We analyzed data for patients aged ≥18 years admitted with a positive severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 polymerase chain reaction test at 4 safety-net hospital systems with diverse populations and high rates of medical comorbidities in 3 US regions. We used inverse probability of treatment weighting via machine learning for confounding adjustment by demographics, comorbidities, and disease severity markers. We estimated the average treatment effect, the odds of IL-6i effect on in-hospital mortality from COVID-19, using a logistic marginal structural model. RESULTS: Of 516 patients, 104 (20.1%) received IL-6i. Estimate of the average treatment effect adjusted for confounders suggested a 37% reduction in odds of in-hospital mortality in those who received IL-6i compared with those who did not, although the confidence interval included the null value of 1 (odds ratio = 0.63; 95% confidence interval, .29-1.38). A sensitivity analysis suggested that potential unmeasured confounding would require a minimum odds ratio of 2.55 to nullify our estimated IL-6i effect size. CONCLUSIONS: Despite low precision, our findings suggested a relatively large effect size of IL-6i in reducing the odds of COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality.

End-stage kidney disease and COVID-19 in an urban safety-net hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

INTRODUCTION: End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients are at a high risk for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we compared characteristics and outcomes of ESKD and non-ESKD patients admitted with COVID-19 to a large safety-net hospital. METHODS: We evaluated 759 adults (45 with ESKD) hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spring of 2020. We examined clinical characteristics, laboratory measures and clinical outcomes. Logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the associations between ESKD status and outcomes. RESULTS: 73% of ESKD and 47% of non-ESKD patients identified as Black (p = 0.002). ESKD patients were older and had higher rates of comorbidities. Admission ferritin was approximately 6-fold higher in ESKD patients. During hospitalization, the rise in white blood cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, ferritin and C-reactive protein, and the decrease in platelet count and serum albumin were all significantly greater in ESKD patients. The in-hospital mortality was higher for ESKD [18% vs. 10%; multivariable adjusted odds ratio 1.5 (95% CI, 0.48-4.70)], but this did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: Among hospitalized COVID-19 patients, ESKD patients had more co-morbidities and more robust inflammatory response than non-ESKD patients. The odds ratio point estimate for death was higher in ESKD patients, but the difference did not reach statistical significance.

Clinical outcomes and inflammatory marker levels in patients with Covid-19 and obesity at an inner-city safety net hospital.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with Covid-19 and obesity have worse clinical outcomes which may be driven by increased inflammation. This study aimed to characterize the association between clinical outcomes in patients with obesity and inflammatory markers. METHODS: We analyzed data for patients aged ≥18 years admitted with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. We used multivariate logistic regression to determine the association between BMI and intensive care unit (ICU) transfer and all-cause mortality. Inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], lactate dehydrogenase [LDH], ferritin, and D-dimer) were compared between patients with and without obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥30 kg/m2). RESULTS: Of 791 patients with Covid-19, 361 (45.6%) had obesity. In multivariate analyses, BMI ≥35 was associated with a higher odds of ICU transfer (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.388 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.074-5.310) and hospital mortality (aOR = 4.3, 95% CI: 1.69-10.82). Compared to those with BMI<30, patients with obesity had lower ferritin (444 vs 637 ng/mL; p<0.001) and lower D-dimer (293 vs 350 mcg/mL; p = 0.009), non-significant differences in CRP (72.8 vs 84.1 mg/L, p = 0.099), and higher LDH (375 vs 340, p = 0.009) on the first hospital day. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with obesity were more likely to have poor outcomes even without increased inflammation.

Early administration of interleukin-6 inhibitors for patients with severe COVID-19 disease is associated with decreased intubation, reduced mortality, and increased discharge.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this observational study was to determine the optimal timing of interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor (IL6ri) administration for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: Patients with COVID-19 were given an IL6ri (sarilumab or tocilizumab) based on iteratively reviewed guidelines. IL6ri were initially reserved for critically ill patients, but after review, treatment was liberalized to patients with lower oxygen requirements. Patients were divided into two groups: those requiring ≤45% fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) (termed stage IIB) and those requiring >45% FiO2 (termed stage III) at the time of IL6ri administration. The main outcomes were all-cause mortality, discharge alive from hospital, and extubation. RESULTS: A total of 255 COVID-19 patients were treated with IL6ri (149 stage IIB and 106 stage III). Patients treated in stage IIB had lower mortality than those treated in stage III (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-0.74). Overall, 218 (85.5%) patients were discharged alive. Patients treated in stage IIB were more likely to be discharged (aHR 1.43, 95% CI 1.06-1.93) and were less likely to be intubated (aHR 0.43, 95% CI 0.24-0.79). CONCLUSIONS: IL6ri administration prior to >45% FiO2 requirement was associated with improved COVID-19 outcomes. This can guide clinical management pending results from randomized controlled trials.