Characteristics and outcomes of antiretroviral-treated HIV-HBV co-infected patients in Canada?

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B (HBV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) share common risk factors for exposure. Co-infected patients have an increased liver-related mortality risk and may have accelerated HIV progression. The epidemiology and demographic characteristics of HIV-HBV co-infection in Canada remain poorly defined. We compared the demographic and clinical characteristics and factors associated with advanced hepatic fibrosis between HIV and HIV-HBV co-infected patients. METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using data from the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) Collaboration, including eight sites from British Columbia, Quebec, and Ontario. Eligible participants were HIV-infected patients who initiated combination ARV between January 1, 2000 and December 14, 2014. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared between HIV-HBV co-infected and HIV-infected groups using chi-square or Fisher exact tests for categorical variables, and Wilcoxon's Rank Sum test for continuous variables. Liver fibrosis was estimated by the AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI). RESULTS: HBV status and APRI values were available for 2419 cohort participants. 199 (8%) were HBV co-infected. Compared to HIV-infected participants, HIV-HBV co-infected participants were more likely to use injection drugs (28% vs. 21%, p = 0.03) and be HCV-positive (31%, vs. 23%, p = 0.02). HIV-HBV co-infected participants had lower baseline CD4 T cell counts (188 cells/mm3, IQR: 120-360) compared to 235 cells/mm3 in HIV-infected participants (IQR: 85-294) (p = 0.0002) and higher baseline median APRI scores (0.50 vs. 0.37, p < 0.0001). This difference in APRI was no longer clinically significant at follow-up (0.32 vs. 0.30, p = 0.03). HIV-HBV co-infected participants had a higher mortality rate compared to HIV-infected participants (11% vs. 7%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The prevalence, demographic and clinical characteristics of the HIV-HBV co-infected population in Canada is described. HIV-HBV co-infected patients have higher mortality, more advanced CD4 T cell depletion, and liver fibrosis that improves in conjunction with ARV therapy. The high prevalence of unknown HBV status demonstrates a need for increased screening among HIV-infected patients in Canada.

Predictors of the willingness to accept a free COVID-19 vaccine among households in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: To inform vaccination policy and programmatic strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake, an understanding of the factors associated with the willingness to vaccinate is needed. METHODS: We analyzed data collected from the sixth and tenth round of the Nigerian COVID-19 National Longitudinal Phone Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Exploratory data analysis and feature selection techniques were used to identify important variables. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between socio-demographic and economic factors and the willingness to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine among Nigerian households at two different time points before vaccines became widely available. RESULTS: Data from 1,733 and 1,651 Nigerian households who completed the sixth and tenth round of the survey, respectively, were included. Most respondents (>85% of households) were willing to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine from both survey rounds. The median household size was 6 (IQR: [4, 8]) with females heading about 18% of the households. Approximately 22% of the household heads had not received any formal education. Compared to households whose head had no education, households whose heads had completed tertiary education or higher had significantly lower odds of willingness to be vaccinated (ORround 6: 0.46, 95% CI: [0.31, 0.68], ORround 10: 0.49, 95% CI: [0.34, 0.71]). An increasing proportion of male household members was associated with greater willingness to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine (ORround 6: 1.84, 95% CI: [1.01, 3.33], ORround 10: 5.25, 95% CI: [2.86, 9.65]). Significant associations with vaccine willingness were also observed across geopolitical zones of residence with households in South-East Nigeria (ORround 6: 0.16, 95% CI: [0.10, 0.24]; ORround 10: 0.29, 95% CI: [0.19, 0.43]) and South-South Nigeria (ORround 6: 0.57, 95% CI: [0.36, 0.90], ORround 10: 0.32, 95% CI: [0.22, 0.48]) less likely to be willing to receive a free vaccine compared to households in North-Central Nigeria. CONCLUSION: These findings from two different time points before vaccine roll-out suggest that the educational level of household head, proportion of male household members, and the geopolitical zone of residence are important baseline predictors of the willingness to receive a free COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria. These factors should be carefully considered and specifically targeted when designing public health programs to inform early-stage strategies that address underlying vaccine hesitancy, improve vaccine uptake, promote ongoing COVID-19 vaccination efforts, and potentially enhance other immunization programs in Nigeria.

Clinical and demographic predictors of antiretroviral efficacy in HIV-HBV co-infected patients.

Background: The clinical and demographic characteristics that predict antiretroviral efficacy among patients co-infected with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) remain poorly defined. We evaluated HIV virological suppression and rebound in a cohort of HIV-HBV co-infected patients initiated on antiretroviral therapy. Methods: A retrospective cohort analysis was performed with Canadian Observation Cohort Collaboration data. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the factors associated with time to virological suppression and time to virological rebound. Results: HBV status was available for 2,419 participants. A total of 8% were HBV co-infected, of whom 95% achieved virological suppression. After virological suppression, 29% of HIV-HBV co-infected participants experienced HIV virological rebound. HBV co-infection itself did not predict virological suppression or rebound risk. The rate of virological suppression was lower among patients with a history of injection drug use or baseline CD4 cell counts of <199 cells per cubic millimetre. Low baseline HIV RNA and men-who-have-sex-with-men status were significantly associated with a higher rate of virological suppression. Injection drug use and non-White race predicted viral rebound. Conclusions: HBV co-infected HIV patients achieve similar antiretroviral outcomes as those living with HIV mono-infection. Equitable treatment outcomes may be approached by targeting resources to key subpopulations living with HIV-HBV co-infection.

Historique: Les caractéristiques cliniques et démographiques prédictives de l'efficacité antirétrovirale chez les patients co-infectés par le virus de l'immunodéficience humaine (VIH) et le virus de l'hépatite B (VHB) demeurent mal définies. Les chercheurs ont évalué la suppression et le rebond virologiques du VIH dans une cohorte de patients co-infectés par le VIH et le VHB chez qui on avait entrepris un traitement antirétroviral. Méthodologie: Les chercheurs ont réalisé une analyse rétrospective de cohorte à l'aide des données de la Canadian Observation Cohort Collaboration. Ils ont utilisé le modèle à risques proportionnels de Cox pour déterminer les facteurs associés à la période jusqu'à la suppression et au rebond virologiques. Résultats: Les chercheurs ont obtenu le statut de VHB de 2 419 participants. Au total, 8 % étaient co-infectés par le VHB, dont 95 % présentaient une suppression virologique. Après la suppression virologique, 29 % des participants co-infectés par le VIH et le VHB ont subi un rebond virologique du VIH. En elle-même, la co-infection par le VHB n'était pas prédictive de la suppression virologique ou du risque de rebond. Le taux de suppression virologique était plus faible chez les patients ayant des antécédents de consommation de drogues injectables ou une numération des cellules CD4 de référence de moins de 199 cellules par millimètre cube. Un ARN du VIH de référence bas et les hommes ayant des relations sexuelles avec des hommes étaient associés de manière significative avec un taux plus élevé de suppression virologique. La consommation de drogues injectables et les races non blanches étaient prédictives d'un rebond viral. Conclusion: Les patients atteints du VHB co-infectés par le VIH obtenaient des résultats antirétroviraux semblables à ceux qui étaient seulement infectés par le VIH. On peut anticiper des résultats cliniques équitables des traitements en ciblant les ressources vers les sous-populations atteintes d'une co-infection par le VIH et le VHB.

Physicians' patient base composition and mortality among people living with HIV who initiated antiretroviral therapy in a universal care setting.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the impact of physicians' patient base composition on all-cause mortality among people living with HIV (PLHIV) who initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. DESIGN: Observational cohort study from 1 January 2000 to 31 December 2013. SETTING: BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS' (BC-CfE) Drug Treatment Program, where HAART is available at no cost. PARTICIPANTS: PLHIV aged ≥ 19 who initiated HAART in BC in the HAART Observational Medical Evaluation and Research (HOMER) Study. OUTCOME MEASURES: All-cause mortality as determined through monthly linkages to the BC Vital Statistics Agency. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: We examined the relationships between patient characteristics, physicians' patient base composition, the location of the practice, and physicians' experience with PLHIV and all-cause mortality using unadjusted and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models. RESULTS: A total of 4 445 PLHIV (median age = 42, Q1, Q3 = 34-49; 80% male) were eligible for our study. Patients were seen by 683 prescribing physicians with a median experience of 77 previously treated PLHIV in the past 2 years (Q1, Q3 = 23-170). A multivariable Cox model indicated that the following factors were associated with all-cause mortality: age (aHR = 1.05 per 1-year increase, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.06), year of HAART initiation (2004-2007: aHR = 0.65, 95% CI = 0.53 to 0.81, 2008-2011: aHR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.61, Ref: 2000-2003), CD4 cell count at baseline (aHR = 0.88 per 100-unit increase in cells/mm3, 95% CI = 0.82 to 0.94), and < 95% adherence in first year on HAART (aHR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.88 to 2.76). In addition, physicians' patient base composition, specifically, the proportion of patients who have a history of injection drug use (aHR = 1.11 per 10% increase in the proportion of patients, 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.15) or Indigenous ancestry (aHR = 1.07 per 10% increase , 95% CI = 1.03-1.11) and being a patient of a physician who primarily serves individuals outside of the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority region (aHR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.01 to 1.47) were associated with mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that physicians with a higher proportion of individuals who face potential barriers to care may need additional supports to decrease mortality among their patients. Future research is required to examine these relationships in other settings and to determine strategies that may mitigate the associations between the composition of physicians' patient bases and survival.