Redesigning an Electronic Health Record in Argentina to Improve Comprehensive Health Care and Clinical Research.

Updating electronic health record systems to meet new clinic needs and government regulations presents an ongoing challenge for health care organizations. To redesign an existing system for two HIV clinics in Argentina, we employed a three-phase approach of exploration, participatory design, and prototyping. The process and resulting architecture of the HIV-centered "RedClin" electronic health record may inform electronic health records at other clinics in Latin America and worldwide.

Time-varying age- and CD4-stratified rates of mortality and WHO stage 3 and stage 4 events in children, adolescents and youth 0 to 24 years living with perinatally acquired HIV, before and after antiretroviral therapy initiation in the paediatric IeDEA Global Cohort Consortium.

INTRODUCTION: Evaluating outcomes of paediatric patients with HIV provides crucial data for clinicians and policymakers. We analysed mortality and clinical events rates among children, adolescents, and youth with perinatally acquired HIV (PHIV) aged 0 to 24 years stratified by time-varying age and CD4, before and after antiretroviral therapy (ART), in the paediatric IeDEA multiregional collaboration (East, West, Central and Southern Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Central/South America and the Caribbean). METHODS: ART-naïve children with HIV enrolled before age 10 (proxy for perinatal infection) at IeDEA sites between 2004 and 2016, with ≥1 CD4 measurement during follow-up were included. We estimated incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) of mortality and first occurrence of WHO-4 and WHO-3 events, excluding tuberculosis, during person-years (PY) spent within different age (<2, 2 to 4, 5 to 9, 10 to 14, 15 to 19, 20 to 24) and CD4 (percent when <5 years [<15%, 15% to 24%, ≥25%]; count when ≥5 years [<200, 200 to 499, ≥500 cells/µL]) strata. We used linear mixed models to predict CD4 evolution, with trends modelled by region. RESULTS: In the pre-ART period, 49 137 participants contributed 51 966 PY of follow-up (median enrolment age: 3.9 years). The overall pre-ART IRs were 2.8/100 PY (95% CI: 2.7 to 2.9) for mortality, 3.3/100 PY (95% CI: 3.0 to 3.5) for first occurrence of a WHO-4 event, and 7.0/100 PY (95% CI: 6.7 to 7.4) for first occurrence of a WHO-3 event. Lower CD4 and younger age strata were associated with increased rates of both mortality and first occurrence of a clinical event. In the post-ART period, 52 147 PHIVY contributed 207 945 PY (ART initiation median age: 4.5 years). Overall mortality IR was 1.4/100 PY (95% CI: 1.4 to 1.5) and higher in low CD4 strata; patients at each end of the age spectrum (<2 and >19) had increased mortality post-ART. IRs for first occurrence of WHO-4 and WHO-3 events were 1.3/100 PY (95% CI: 1.2 to 1.4) and 2.1/100 PY (95% CI: 2.0 to 2.2) respectively. These were also associated with lower CD4 and younger age strata. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality and incidence of clinical events were highest in both younger (<2 years) and older (>19 years) youth with PHIV. Scaling-up services for <2 years (early access to HIV diagnosis and care) and >19 years (adolescent- and youth-focused health services) is critical to improve outcomes among PHIVY.

Weight-for-age distributions among children with HIV on antiretroviral therapy in the International epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) multiregional consortium.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric antiretroviral therapy (ART) for children with HIV (CHIV) must be dosed appropriately for children's changing weights as they grow. To inform accurate estimates of ART formulations and doses needed, we described weight-for-age distributions among CHIV on ART in the IeDEA global pediatric collaboration between 2004 and 2016, using data from six regions (East, West, Central, and Southern Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Central/South America and the Caribbean). RESULTS: Overall, 59,862 children contributed to the analysis. Age and weight data were available from 530,080 clinical encounters for girls and 537,894 for boys. For each one-year age stratum from 0 to 15 years, we calculated the proportion of children in each of the weight bands designated by the World Health Organization as relevant to pediatric ART formulations: 0 to < 3 kg, 3 to < 6 kg, 6 to < 10 kg, 10 to < 14 kg, 14 to < 20 kg, 20 to < 25 kg, 25 to < 30 kg, 30 to < 35 kg, 35 to < 40 kg, 40 to < 45 kg, 45 to < 50 kg, 50 to < 55 kg, 55 to < 60 kg, and ≥ 60 kg. Data are reported for the entire cohort, as well as stratified by sex and IeDEA region, calendar year of ART use, and duration on ART at time of assessment (< 12 or ≥ 12 months), provided in data tables. These data are critical to improve the accuracy of forecasting and procurement of pediatric ART formulations as the pediatric HIV epidemic and pediatric HIV treatment strategies evolve.

Is substance use associated with HIV cascade outcomes in Latin America?

BACKGROUND: The HIV care cascade has improved in Latin America over the last decade. However, the influence of alcohol and noninjected drug use (NIDU) on cascade outcomes is mostly unknown. This study estimated the association of alcohol and NIDU with retention in care, loss to follow up (LTFU), and virologic failure (VF). METHODS: Individuals ≥18 years attending routine HIV clinic visits and completing the Rapid Screening Tool (RST; evaluating NIDU and ART adherence in 7-day recall period) during 2012-13 were followed up to 2015 in the Caribbean, Central and South America network for HIV epidemiology. Adjusted odds ratios (aOR) were calculated for the association of alcohol consumption and NIDU with retention in care by logistic regression; adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) were estimated for the associations with LTFU and VF by Cox regression. RESULTS: Among 3604 individuals, the proportions retained in care for one year were 84%, 79%, 72%, and 69% for patients reporting non-use, alcohol use, NIDU, and both alcohol and NIDU, respectively. For the same patient groups, the proportions LTFU over 18 months were 6%, 8%, 12%, and 13%, respectively. There were 1901 patients (53%) with HIV RNA results; VF proportions were similar between users and nonusers (ranging from 14-16%). After controlling for age, sex, study site, HIV transmission mode, time on ART, AIDS status, and CD4 count, neither alcohol use (aOR = 1.1, CI = 0.9-1.4; aHR = 1.0, CI = 0.8-1.3) nor NIDU (aOR = 1.3, CI = 0.9-1.8; aHR = 1.4, CI = 0.9-2.1) were significantly associated with retention or VF, respectively. However, both alcohol use (aHR = 1.2, CI = 1.02-1.4) and NIDU (aHR = 1.3, CI = 1.00-1.8) were associated with increased LTFU. CONCLUSION: Alcohol use and NIDU in a 7-day recall period increased the risk of being LTFU during the next 18 months, highlighting the need for routine screening and targeted interventions to keep these individuals in care and on ART.

A decade of HAART in Latin America: Long term outcomes among the first wave of HIV patients to receive combination therapy.

BACKGROUND: In Latin America, the first wave of HIV-infected patients initiated highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) 10 or more years ago. Characterizing their treatment experience and corresponding outcomes across a decade of HAART may yield insights relevant to the ongoing care of such patients and those initiating HAART more recently in similar clinical settings. METHODS: This retrospective study included adults initiating HAART before 2004 at 8 sites in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Haiti, Honduras, and Mexico. Patient status (in care, dead, or lost to follow-up [LTFU]) was assessed at 6-month intervals for 10 years, along with CD4 count and HIV-1 viral load (VL) for patients in care. RESULTS: 4,975 patients (66% male) started HAART prior to 2004; 45% were not antiretroviral-naïve. At 1, 5, and 10 years, rates of mortality were 4.2%, 9.0%, and 13.6% respectively. LTFU rates for the same periods were 2.4%, 10.9%, and 24.2%. Among patients remaining in care at 10 years, 84.4% were estimated to have VL≤400 copies/mL (Haiti excluded) and median baseline CD4 increased from 158 to 525 cells/mm3. Only 11.4% of all patients remained on their first regimen, 12.6% were on their second, 11.5% were on their third, and 23.0% were on their fourth or subsequent regimen. Outcomes were generally better for patients who were not antiretroviral-naïve, except for viral suppression. Heterogeneity among sites was substantial. CONCLUSIONS: Despite advanced disease and predominant use of older antiretrovirals, a large percentage of early HAART initiators in this Latin American cohort were alive and in care with sustained virologic suppression and progressive immune recovery after 10 years.

Substance Use and Adherence Among People Living with HIV/AIDS Receiving cART in Latin America.

This cross-sectional study describes substance use prevalence and its association with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) adherence among 3343 individuals receiving care at HIV clinics in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, and Peru. A rapid screening tool evaluated self-reported 7-day recall of alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine use, and missed cART doses. Overall, 29.3 % individuals reported having ≥1 alcoholic drinks, 5.0 % reported any illicit drug use and 17.0 % reported missed cART doses. In the logistic regression model, compared to no substance use, alcohol use [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.46, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.99-3.05], illicit drug use (AOR = 3.57, 95 % CI: 2.02-6.30), and using both alcohol and illicit drugs (AOR = 4.98, 95 % CI: 3.19-7.79) were associated with missed cART doses. The associations between substance use and likelihood of missing cART doses point to the need of targeting alcohol and illicit drug use to improve adherence among people living with HIV in Latin America.

Duration of anti-tuberculosis therapy and timing of antiretroviral therapy initiation: association with mortality in HIV-related tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) decreases mortality risk in HIV-infected tuberculosis patients, but the effect of the duration of anti-tuberculosis therapy and timing of anti-tuberculosis therapy initiation in relation to ART initiation on mortality, is unclear. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational multi-center cohort study among HIV-infected persons concomitantly treated with Rifamycin-based anti-tuberculosis therapy and ART in Latin America. The study population included persons for whom 6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy is recommended. RESULTS: Of 253 patients who met inclusion criteria, median CD4+ lymphocyte count at ART initiation was 64 cells/mm(3), 171 (68%) received >180 days of anti-tuberculosis therapy, 168 (66%) initiated anti-tuberculosis therapy before ART, and 43 (17%) died. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model that adjusted for CD4+ lymphocytes and HIV-1 RNA, tuberculosis diagnosed after ART initiation was associated with an increased risk of death compared to tuberculosis diagnosis before ART initiation (HR 2.40; 95% CI 1.15, 5.02; P = 0.02). In a separate model among patients surviving >6 months after tuberculosis diagnosis, after adjusting for CD4+ lymphocytes, HIV-1 RNA, and timing of ART initiation relative to tuberculosis diagnosis, receipt of >6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy was associated with a decreased risk of death (HR 0.23; 95% CI 0.08, 0.66; P=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The increased risk of death among persons diagnosed with tuberculosis after ART initiation highlights the importance of screening for tuberculosis before ART initiation. The decreased risk of death among persons receiving > 6 months of anti-tuberculosis therapy suggests that current anti-tuberculosis treatment duration guidelines should be re-evaluated.