Incidence of non-AIDS defining comorbidities among young adults with perinatally-acquired HIV in North America, 2000-2019.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the incidence of diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM), hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (CKD) from 2000 to 2019 among North American adults with perinatally-acquired HIV (PHIV) aged 18 to 30. DESIGN: Description of outcomes based on electronic health records for a cohort of 375 young adults with PHIV enrolled in routine HIV care at clinics contributing data to the North American AIDS Cohort Collaboration on Research and Design (NA-ACCORD). METHODS: We estimated overall, sex-, and race-stratified cumulative incidences using Turnbull estimation, and incidence rates using quasi-Poisson regression. T2DM was defined as glycosylated hemoglobin >6.5% or based on clinical diagnosis and medication use. Hypercholesterolemia was based on medication use or total cholesterol ≥200 mg/dL. Hypertriglyceridemia was based on medication use or fasting triglyceride ≥150 mg/dL or non-fasting ≥200 mg/dL. Hypertension was based on clinical diagnosis. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rates <90 ml/mi|1.73 m2 for ≥3 months. RESULTS: Cumulative incidence by age 30 and incidence rates from age 18 to 30 (per 100 person-years) were: T2DM: 19%, 2.9; hypercholesterolemia: 40%, 4.6; hypertriglyceridemia: 50%, 5.6; hypertension: 22%, 2.0; and CKD: 25%, 3.3. Non-Black females had the highest incidence of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, Black adults had the highest hypertension incidence, and Black males had the highest CKD incidence. CONCLUSION: There was a high incidence of five chronic comorbidities among people with PHIV. Earlier screening at younger ages might be considered for this unique population to strengthen prevention strategies and initiate treatment in a timely way.

Association of Alcohol Use with COVID-19 Infection and Hospitalization Among People Living with HIV in the United States, 2020.

Alcohol use was associated with elevated COVID-19 risk in the general population. People with HIV (PWH) have high prevalences of alcohol use. To evaluate the effect of alcohol use on COVID-19 risks among PWH, we estimated the risk of COVID-19 diagnosis and COVID-19-related hospitalization among PWH in routine care at 8 HIV primary care centers that contributed data to the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) cohort according to their alcohol use just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CNICS data repository includes demographic characteristics, clinical diagnoses, and laboratory test results from electronic medical records and other sources. Alcohol use, substance use, and mental health symptoms were self-reported on tablet-based standardized surveys. Alcohol use was categorized according to standard, sex-specific Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test-Consumption instrument cut-offs. We followed 5,496 PWH (79% male, 48% Black race, median age = 53 years) from March 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Relative to PWH with no baseline alcohol use, the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of COVID-19 diagnosis was 1.09 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.78, 1.51) for lower-risk drinking and 1.19 (95%CI: 0.81, 1.73) for unhealthy drinking. The aHR of COVID-19-related hospitalization was 0.82 (95%CI: 0.33, 1.99) for lower-risk drinking and 1.25 (95%CI: 0.50, 3.09) for unhealthy drinking. Results were not modified by recent cocaine or non-prescribed opioid use, depressive symptoms, or diagnoses of alcohol use disorder. The study suggested a slightly increased, but not statistically significant risk of COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization associated with unhealthy alcohol use.

The association of changes in depression severity after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and viral nonsuppression among people with HIV.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to characterize changes in depressive symptom severity during the COVID-19 pandemic and the association of these changes with HIV viral nonsuppression among people with HIV (PWH). DESIGN: A clinical cohort study. METHODS: We included PWH in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort who completed the Patient Health Questionnaire 8 (PHQ-8) prepandemic (1 March 2018 to 28 February 2020) and during the COVID-era (1 September 2020 to 28 February 2022). PWH were classified according to depression severity categories prepandemic and during the COVID-era as: consistently depressed (prepandemic PHQ-8 >4 and no change in severity category); consistently nondepressed (prepandemic PHQ-8 ≤4 and no change in severity category); worsened (changed to a higher severity category) and; improved (change to a lower severity category). The association between changes in depressive symptom severity and viral nonsuppression (HIV RNA >200 copies/ml on the earliest viral load measured 7 days before to 12 months after the COVID-era PHQ-8 survey) was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 793 PWH, mean age was 56 (SD 10) years, 60% were male individuals and 88% were Black. After the onset of the pandemic, 60% were consistently nondepressed, 9% were consistently depressed, 15% worsened and 16% improved. PWH who worsened had 2.47 times the odds of viral nonsuppression (95% CI: 1.09-5.55) compared with the nondepressed group. Associations among other groups were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Worsening depression during the COVID-era was associated with HIV viral nonsuppression. Strategies to monitor and address depression among PWH may contribute to reduced risk of viral nonsuppression.

Investigating the impact of suboptimal prescription of preoperative antiplatelets and statins on race and ethnicity-related disparities in major limb amputation.

BACKGROUND: Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients with symptomatic PAD may receive different treatments than White patients with symptomatic PAD. The delivery of guideline-directed medical treatment may be a modifiable upstream driver of race and ethnicity-related disparities in outcomes such as limb amputation. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prescription of preoperative antiplatelets and statins in producing disparities in the risk of amputation following revascularization for symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD). METHODS: We used data from the Vascular Quality Initiative, a vascular procedure-based registry in the United States (2011-2018). We estimated the probability of preoperative antiplatelet and statin prescriptions and 1-year incidence of amputation. We then estimated the amputation risk difference between race/ethnicity groups that could be eliminated under a hypothetical intervention. RESULTS: Across 100,579 revascularizations, the 1-year amputation risk was 2.5% (2.4%, 2.6%) in White patients, 5.3% (4.9%, 5.6%) in Black patients, and 5.3% (4.7%, 5.9%) in Hispanic patients. Black (57.5%) and Hispanic patients (58.7%) were only slightly less likely than White patients (60.9%) to receive antiplatelet and statin therapy. However, the effect of antiplatelets and statins was greater in Black and Hispanic patients such that, had all patients received these medications, the estimated risk difference comparing Black to White patients would have reduced by 8.9% (-2.9%, 21.9%) and the risk difference comparing Hispanic to White patients would have been reduced by 17.6% (-0.7%, 38.6%). CONCLUSION: Even though guideline-directed care appeared evenly distributed by race/ethnicity, increasing access to such care may decrease health care disparities in major limb amputation.

Hepatitis C Treatment in People With HIV: Potential to Eliminate Disease and Disparity.

Access to direct acting antivirals (DAAs) may be associated with reductions in hepatitis C virus (HCV) viremia prevalence among people with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH). Among 3755 PWH, estimated HCV viremia prevalence decreased by 94.0% from 36% (95% confidence interval [CI], 27%-46%) in 2009 (pre-DAA era) to 2% (95% CI, 0%-4%) in 2021 (DAA era). Male sex, black race, and older age were associated with HCV viremia in 2009 but not in 2021. Injection drug use remained associated with HCV viremia in 2009 and 2021. Targeted interventions are needed to meet the HCV care needs of PWH who use drugs.

Evaluating the Sick Quitting Hypothesis for Frailty Status and Reducing Alcohol Use Among People With HIV in a Longitudinal Clinical Cohort Study.

ABSTRACT: "Sick quitting," a phenomenon describing reductions in alcohol consumption following poor health, may explain observations that alcohol appears protective for frailty risk. We examined associations between frailty and reductions in drinking frequency among people with HIV (PWH). At six Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) sites between January 2012 and August 2021, we assessed whether frailty, measured through validated modified frailty phenotype, precedes reductions in drinking frequency. We associated time-updated frailty with quitting and reducing frequency of any drinking and heavy episodic drinking (HED), adjusted for demographic and clinical characteristics in Cox models. Among 5,654 PWH reporting drinking, 60% reported >monthly drinking and 18% reported ≥monthly HED. Over an average of 5.4 years, frail PWH had greater probabilities of quitting (HR: 1.56, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] [1.13-2.15]) and reducing (HR: 1.35, 95% CI [1.13-1.62]) drinking frequency, as well as reducing HED frequency (HR: 1.58, 95% CI [1.20-2.09]) versus robust PWH. Sick quitting likely confounds the association between alcohol use and frailty risk, requiring investigation for control.

Effect of implementation strategies on pre-exposure prophylaxis persistence among female sex workers in South Africa: an interrupted time series study.

BACKGROUND: A disproportionate number of new HIV infections in South Africa are among female sex workers; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention is freely available to female sex workers in the country, but unique barriers challenge PrEP persistence. TB HIV Care, a large South African non-profit organisation that provides daily oral PrEP (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabine), has implemented multiple strategies to improve PrEP persistence. We aimed to evaluate the effect of different implementation strategies on PrEP persistence in a large-scale real-world setting. METHODS: In this interrupted time series study, we estimated level changes in 1-month oral PrEP persistence associated with roll-out of various implementation strategies among female sex workers across nine districts in South Africa. We used routinely collected data from TB HIV Care programme files from June 7, 2016, to April 30, 2021. Poisson regression of 1-month persistence was used to assess the effect of these strategies. In secondary analyses, we tested the association between each of the strategies and 4-month persistence. FINDINGS: The median 1-month PrEP persistence for female sex workers was 33% (IQR 27-40). SMS support and refill reminders were associated with an 11% relative increase in 1-month persistence (risk ratio [RR] 1·11, 95% CI 1·02-1·26) and clinical mentoring for PrEP providers was associated with a 127% relative increase (RR 2·27, 95% CI 1·94-2·66) among female sex workers. The loyalty rewards programme was negatively associated with 1-month persistence (RR 0·71, 95% CI 0·67-0·83). Although clinical mentoring improved 4-month persistence, SMS support text messages had no significant effect. INTERPRETATION: Identification and subsequent use of clinical mentoring for PrEP providers and SMS support and refill reminders might improve the usefulness of PrEP overall to prevent new HIV infections among female sex workers. PrEP persistence remains an important issue, and strategies to build on our findings are needed. FUNDING: National Institute of Mental Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Effects of Race and Gender Classifications on Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimates for Clinical Decision-Making in a Cohort of Black Transgender Women.

Introduction: Despite their dynamic, socially constructed, and imprecise nature, both race and gender are included in common risk calculators used for clinical decision-making about statin therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) prevention. Methods and Materials: We assessed the effect of manipulating six different race-gender categories on ASCVD risk scores among 90 Black transgender women. Results: Risk scores varied by operationalization of race and gender and affected the proportion for whom statins were recommended. Discussion: Race and gender are social constructs underpinning racialized and gendered health inequities. Their rote use in ASCVD risk calculators may reinforce and perpetuate existing inequities.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk Estimation for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Patients: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Baseline Data From the LITE Plus Cohort Study.

Introduction: Approximately 2% of the U.S. population identifies as transgender, and transgender people experience disproportionate rates of cardiovascular disease mortality. However, widely used cardiovascular disease risk estimators have not been validated in this population. This study sought to determine the impact on statin therapy recommendations using 3 different approaches to operationalizing sex in the American Health Association/American College of Cardiology Pooled Cohort Equation Risk Estimator. Methods: This is a cross-sectional analysis of baseline clinical data from LITE Plus, a prospective cohort study of Black and/or Latina transgender women with HIV. Data were collected from October 2020 to June 2022 and used to calculate Pooled Cohort Equation scores. Results: The 102 participants had a mean age of 43 years. A total of 88% were Black, and 18% were Latina. A total of 79% were taking gender-affirming hormones. The average Pooled Cohort Equation risk score was 6% when sex assigned at birth was used and statins would be recommended for the 31% with Pooled Cohort Equation >7.5%. The average risk score was 4%, and 18% met the criteria for statin initiation when current gender was used; the mean risk score was 5%, and 22% met the criteria for statin initiation when current hormone therapy was used. Conclusions: Average Pooled Cohort Equation risk scores vary substantially depending on the approach to operationalizing the sex variable, suggesting that widely used cardiovascular risk estimators may be unreliable predictors of cardiovascular disease risk in transgender populations. Collection of sex, gender, and hormone use in longitudinal studies of cardiovascular health is needed to address this important limitation of current risk estimators.

Implementing a peer-supported, integrated strategy for substance use disorder care in an outpatient infectious disease clinic is associated with improved patient outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorder (SUD) and infectious disease (ID) care integration may lead to improvements in SUD and ID outcomes. We assessed implementation of integrating peer-supported SUD care in an outpatient ID setting. METHODS: In this implementation study, we describe REcovery in Specialty care Through medication and OutREach (RESTORE), a low-threshold SUD program implemented in a Baltimore outpatient ID clinic. Key program components were clinician training and support in SUD care, prescription of SUD treatment medications, and peer-based psychosocial support provided by peer recovery specialists. We assessed clinician adoption of RESTORE and compared patient outcomes from baseline to 6 months. RESULTS: Between January 2019 and January 2022, the number of ID clinicians (N=61) who prescribed buprenorphine increased eightfold from 3 (5%) to 24 (39%). Of 258 ID patients referred to RESTORE, 182 (71%) engaged, 137 consented to study participation. Mean age in the study sample was 52.1 (SD=10.4), 63% were male, 84% were Black/African-American. Among 127 (93%) who completed 6-month follow-up, fewer participants reported illicit/non-prescribed opioid use in the past 30 days at follow-up (32%) compared to baseline (52%; p<0.001). Similar reductions were noted for cocaine use (47% to 34%; p=0.006), emergency department visits (23% to 9%; p=0.002), and inpatient hospitalizations (15% to 7%; p=0.025). CONCLUSION: SUD care integration into an outpatient ID care setting using a peer-supported implementation strategy was adopted by clinicians and improved clinical outcomes for patients. This strategy is a promising approach to treating people with infectious diseases and SUD.

Measuring time in buprenorphine treatment stages among people with HIV and opioid use disorder by retention definition and its association with cocaine and hazardous alcohol use.

BACKGROUND: We use a novel, longitudinal approach to describe average time spent in opioid use disorder (OUD) cascade of care stages for people with HIV (PWH) and with OUD, incorporating four definitions of treatment retention. Using this approach, we describe the impact of cocaine or hazardous alcohol use on time spent retained on buprenorphine. METHODS: We followed PWH with OUD enrolled in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort from their first buprenorphine treatment episode between 2013 and 2020. We estimated 4-year restricted mean time spent on buprenorphine below buprenorphine retention threshold, on buprenorphine above retention threshold, off buprenorphine and in HIV care, loss to follow-up, and death. Retention definitions were based on retention threshold (180 vs 90 days) and allowable treatment gap (7 vs 30 days). Differences in 2-year restricted mean time spent retained on buprenorphine were estimated for patients with and without cocaine or hazardous alcohol use. RESULTS: The study sample (N = 179) was 63% male, 82% non-Hispanic Black, and mean age was 53 (SD 8) years. Patients spent on average 13.9 months (95% CI 11.4, 16.4) on buprenorphine over 4 years. There were differences in time spent retained on buprenorphine based on the retention definition, ranging from 6.5 months (95% CI 4.6, 8.5) to 9.6 months (95% CI 7.4, 11.8). Patients with cocaine use spent fewer months retained on buprenorphine. There were no differences for patients with hazardous alcohol use. CONCLUSIONS: PWH with OUD spend relatively little time receiving buprenorphine in their HIV primary care clinic. Concurrent cocaine use at buprenorphine initiation negatively impact time on buprenorphine.

Impact of subgroup-specific heterogeneities and dynamic changes in mortality rates on forecasted population size, deaths, and age distribution of persons receiving antiretroviral treatment in the United States: a computer simulation study.

PURPOSE: Model-based forecasts of population size, deaths, and age distribution of people with HIV (PWH) are helpful for public health and clinical services planning but are influenced by subgroup-specific heterogeneities and changes in mortality rates. METHODS: Using an agent-based simulation of PWH in the United States, we examined the impact of distinct approaches to parametrizing mortality rates on forecasted epidemiology of PWH on antiretroviral treatment (ART). We first estimated mortality rates among (1) all PWH, (2) sex-specific, (3) sex-and-race/ethnicity-specific, and (4) sex-race/ethnicity-and-HIV-acquisition-risk-specific subgroups. We then assessed each scenario by (1) allowing unrestricted reductions in age-specific mortality rates over time and (2) restricting the mortality rates among PWH to subgroup-specific mortality thresholds from the general population. RESULTS: Among the eight scenarios examined, those lacking subgroup-specific heterogeneities and those allowing unrestricted reductions in future mortality rates forecasted the lowest number of deaths among all PWH and 9 of the 15 subgroups through 2030. The forecasted overall number and age distribution of people with a history of injection drug use were sensitive to inclusion of subgroup-specific mortality rates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results underscore the potential risk of underestimating future deaths by models lacking subgroup-specific heterogeneities in mortality rates, and those allowing unrestricted reductions in future mortality rates.

Joint effects of substance use disorders and recent substance use on HIV viral non-suppression among people engaged in HIV care in an urban clinic, 2014-2019.

AIMS: To estimate the joint effects of substance use disorder (SUD) and recent substance use on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) non-suppression. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical cohort study with repeated observations within individuals. SETTING: Baltimore, Maryland, United States. PARTICIPANTS: 1881 patients contributed 10 794 observations. MEASUREMENTS: The primary independent variable was the combination of history of SUD and recent substance use. History of SUD was defined as any prior International Classification of Diseases 9/10 code for cocaine or opioid disorder. Recent substance use was defined as the self-report of cocaine or non-prescribed opioid use on the National Institute of Drug Abuse-modified Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test or clinician-documented cocaine or opioid use abstracted from the medical record. The outcome was viral non-suppression, defined as HIV RNA >200 copies/mL on the first viral load measurement within 1 year subsequent to each observation of substance use. We adjusted for birth sex, Black race, age, HIV acquisition risk factors, years in care and CD4 cell count. In secondary analyses, we also adjusted for depressive, anxiety and panic symptoms, cannabis use and cannabis use disorder. FINDINGS: On their first observation, 31% of patients had a history of an SUD and 18% had recent substance use. Relative to no history of SUD and no recent substance use, the 1-year fully adjusted risk difference (RD) for viral non-suppression associated with cocaine and opioid use disorder and recent substance use was 7.7% (95% CI = 5.3%-10.0%), the RD was 5.5% (95% CI = 1.2%-9.7%) for history of cocaine use disorder without recent substance use, and the RD was 4.6% (95% CI = 2.7%-6.5%) for recent substance use without a SUD. CONCLUSIONS: Substance use and substance use disorders appear to be highly prevalent among, and independently associated with, viral non-suppression among people with HIV.

Alcohol use and the longitudinal HIV care continuum for people with HIV who enrolled in care between 2011 and 2019.

PURPOSE: We described the impact of alcohol use on longitudinal engagement in HIV care including loss to follow-up, durability of viral suppression, and death. METHODS: We followed a cohort of 1781 people with HIV from enrolled in care at one of seven US clinics, 2011-2019 through 102 months. We used a multistate, time-varying Markov process and restricted mean time to summarize engagement in HIV care over follow-up according to baseline self-reported alcohol use (none, moderate, or unhealthy). RESULTS: Our sample (86% male, 54% White) had median age of 35 years. Over 102 months, people with no, moderate, and unhealthy alcohol use averaged 62.3, 61.1, and 59.5 months virally suppressed, respectively. People who reported unhealthy or moderate alcohol use spent 5.1 (95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.8, 9.3) and 7.6 (95%CI: 3.1, 11.7) more months lost to care than nondrinkers. Compared to no use, unhealthy alcohol use was associated with 3.4 (95%CI: -5.6, -1.6) fewer months in care, not virally suppressed. There were no statistically significant differences after adjustment for demographic and clinical characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate or unhealthy drinking at enrollment in HIV care was associated with poor retention in care. Alcohol use was not associated with time spent virally suppressed.

The temporal relationship of alcohol use and subsequent self-reported health status among people with HIV.

Background: Alcohol use among people with HIV is associated with worse HIV treatment outcomes. Its impact on self-reported health status is unclear. Setting: Longitudinal cohort of people with HIV engaged in care across 7 clinics participating in the Centers for AIDS Research Network of Integrated Care Systems between January 2011 and June 2014. Methods: A total of 5046 participants were studied. A quantile regression model estimated the association of alcohol use levels with subsequent self-reported health status score, accounting for multiple covariates including depressive symptoms. Women, men who have sex with women, and men who have sex with men were analyzed separately. Results: Prevalence of heavy alcohol use was 21%, 31%, and 37% among women, men who have sex with women, and men who have sex with men, respectively. Women with heavy alcohol use had a subsequently decreased median self-reported health status score compared to women with no or moderate alcohol use (odds ratio [OR]: 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.58-0.99); this association was not explained by the presence of depressive symptoms. There was no observed association of alcohol use level on subsequent self-reported health status among men who have sex with women. Men who have sex with men reporting no alcohol use had a subsequently decreased median self-reported health status compared to moderate alcohol use (OR: 0.88; 95% CI: 0.80-0.97). Conclusion: Heavy alcohol use is associated with worsened self-reported health status at subsequent visits among women with HIV and not men with HIV.

When Does Differential Outcome Misclassification Matter for Estimating Prevalence?

BACKGROUND: When accounting for misclassification, investigators make assumptions about whether misclassification is "differential" or "nondifferential." Most guidance on differential misclassification considers settings where outcome misclassification varies across levels of exposure, or vice versa. Here, we examine when covariate-differential misclassification must be considered when estimating overall outcome prevalence. METHODS: We generated datasets with outcome misclassification under five data generating mechanisms. In each, we estimated prevalence using estimators that (a) ignored misclassification, (b) assumed misclassification was nondifferential, and (c) allowed misclassification to vary across levels of a covariate. We compared bias and precision in estimated prevalence in the study sample and an external target population using different sources of validation data to account for misclassification. We illustrated use of each approach to estimate HIV prevalence using self-reported HIV status among people in East Africa cross-border areas. RESULTS: The estimator that allowed misclassification to vary across levels of the covariate produced results with little bias for both populations in all scenarios but had higher variability when the validation study contained sparse strata. Estimators that assumed nondifferential misclassification produced results with little bias when the covariate distribution in the validation data matched the covariate distribution in the target population; otherwise estimates assuming nondifferential misclassification were biased. CONCLUSIONS: If validation data are a simple random sample from the target population, assuming nondifferential outcome misclassification will yield prevalence estimates with little bias regardless of whether misclassification varies across covariates. Otherwise, obtaining valid prevalence estimates requires incorporating covariates into the estimators used to account for misclassification.

Telemedicine Use Among People With HIV in 2021: The Hybrid-Care Environment.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine use for the care of people with HIV (PWH) significantly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2021, vaccine uptake increased and patients were encouraged to resume in-person care, resulting in a mixture of in-person and telemedicine visits. We studied how different patient populations used telemedicine in this hybrid-care environment. METHODS: Using observational data from patients enrolled in the Johns Hopkins HIV Clinical Cohort, we analyzed all in-person and telemedicine HIV primary care visits completed in an HIV clinic from January 1st, 2021, to December 31st, 2021. We used log-binomial regression to investigate the association between patient characteristics and the probability of completing a telemedicine versus in-person visit and the probability of completing a video versus telephone visit. RESULTS: A total of 5518 visits were completed by 1884 patients; 4282 (77.6%) visits were in-person, 800 (14.5%) by phone, and 436 (7.9%) by video. The relative risk (RR) of completing telemedicine vs. in-person visits was 0.65 (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.47, 0.91) for patients age 65 years or older vs. age 20-39 years; 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.98) for male patients vs. female patients; 0.81 (95% CI: 0.66, 0.99) for Black vs. White patients; 0.62 (95% CI: 0.49, 0.79) for patients in the highest vs. lowest quartile of Area Deprivation Index; and 1.52 (95% CI: 1.26, 1.84) for patients >15 miles vs. <5 miles from clinic. CONCLUSIONS: In the second year of the pandemic, overall in-person care was used more than telemedicine and significant differences persist across subgroups in telemedicine uptake.

Longitudinal patterns of initiation, persistence, and cycling on preexposure prophylaxis among female sex workers and adolescent girls and young women in South Africa.

OBJECTIVE: Female sex workers (FSW) and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) face a disproportionately high risk of HIV in South Africa. Oral preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can avert new infections, but its effectiveness is linked to consistent use. Early discontinuation of PrEP in this population is high, but less is known about longitudinal patterns of PrEP use, including patterns of re-initiation and cycling. DESIGN: Longitudinal descriptive analysis of routine program data. METHODS: Between 2016 and 2021, 40 681 FSW and AGYW initiated PrEP at TB HIV Care, the largest PrEP provider to this population in South Africa and were included. Using survival analyses and group-based trajectory modeling, we described patterns of initiation, discontinuation, re-initiation, and cycling. RESULTS: Total initiations increased over the life of the program for both FSW and AGYW. About 40% of FSW [0.41, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.40-0.42]] and AGYW (0.38, 95% CI [0.37-0.38]) remained on PrEP at one month. FSW were more likely to restart PrEP, however <10% restarted PrEP within a year of initiation. Three latent trajectory groups of PrEP use were identified for FSW (low use, early cycling, and ongoing cycling) and two for AGYW (low use and ongoing cycling). Persistence was negatively associated with initiation among AGYW, but there was no clear relationship among FSW. Those initiating later in the program and older women had a reduced risk of discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Persistence on PrEP was low, but cycling on and off PrEP was common, with early missed visits and inconsistent, but ongoing use. A push to increase PrEP initiations needs to factor in readiness and persistence support, to achieve public health impact.