Premature and early menopause among US women with or at risk for HIV.

OBJECTIVE: Little is known about the prevalence and treatment of premature and early menopause among people with HIV. We described premature and early menopause and subsequent hormonal treatment in a longitudinal cohort of women living with or at risk for HIV in the US. METHODS: Data from the Women's Interagency HIV Study between 2008 and 2020 were analyzed to describe premature and early menopause among cohort participants under the age of 51. RESULTS: Of 3,059 eligible women during the study period, 1% (n = 35) underwent premature menopause before age 41, 3% (n = 101) underwent menopause between ages 41 and 46, and 21% (n = 442) underwent menopause between ages 46 and 50, inclusive. Of participants who experienced menopause before age 41, between age 41 and 45, and between ages 46 and 50, 51%, 24%, and 7% (respectively) received either menopausal hormone therapy or hormonal contraception. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that disparities in receipt of recommended hormone therapy for premature and early menopause may contribute, in part, to evident health disparities, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and overall mortality. They also suggest a substantial need for education among people experiencing early menopause and their providers, with the goal of improving access to hormone therapy based on guidelines to address health disparities and minimize future health consequences.

Short-term binge drinking, marijuana, and recreational drug use trajectories in a prospective cohort of people living with HIV at the start of COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the United States.

BACKGROUND: At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV experts suggested that an increase in mental health diagnoses and substance use among people living with HIV (PLHIV) may be an unintended consequence of COVID-19 mitigation efforts (e.g., limiting social contact). We evaluated short-term trajectories in binge drinking, marijuana, and recreational drug use in a prospective cohort of PLHIV. METHODS: Data (N = 2121 PLHIV) consist of survey responses on substance use behaviors from two pre-COVID-19 (October 2018-September 2019) and one COVID-19-era (April 2020-September 2020) timepoints within the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS). We conducted group-based trajectory models, triangulated with generalized linear mixed models, to assess changes in binge drinking, daily marijuana use, and recreational drug use at the start of the pandemic. Controlling for age and race/ethnicity, we tested whether trajectories differed by sex and early-pandemic depressive symptoms, loneliness, and social support. RESULTS: Group-based trajectory models yielded two trajectory groups for binge drinking (none vs. any), marijuana (none/infrequent vs. daily), and recreational drug use (none vs. any). Binge drinking and recreational drug use decreased at the beginning of the pandemic. Generalized linear mixed model supported these trends. Consistent with prior research, male sex and having depressive symptoms early pandemic were positively associated with each substance use outcomes. Social support was inversely associated with recreational drug use. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to hypotheses, problematic substance use behaviors decreased from pre-pandemic to the post-pandemic follow-up in our sample of PLHIV. Ongoing surveillance is needed to assess whether this pattern persists as the pandemic continues.

Association of Poor Sleep With Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms by HIV Disease Status: Women's Interagency HIV Study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbances are prevalent in women living with HIV (WLWH) and can affect mental health and overall quality of life. We examined the prevalence and predictors of poor sleep quality in a US cohort of WLWH and HIV-uninfected controls and the relationship between sleep quality and mental health symptom burden stratified by HIV disease status (viremic WLWH, aviremic WLWH, and HIV-uninfected women). METHODS: Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in 1583 (400 viremic WLWH, 723 aviremic WLWH, and 460 HIV-uninfected women) Women's Interagency HIV Study participants. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were concurrently assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale and General Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale. Associations between poor sleep quality (global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5) and both high depressive (CES-D ≥16) and anxiety (GAD-7 ≥10) symptoms were each assessed by HIV disease status using multivariable logistic regression models. RESULTS: Prevalence of poor sleep quality in the overall sample was 52%, differed by HIV disease status (P = 0.045), and was significantly associated with high depressive and anxiety symptoms in (1) viremic WLWH, (2) aviremic WLWH, and (3) HIV-uninfected women [CES-D: (1) adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 7.50, 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.10 to 13.7; (2) aOR = 4.54, 95% CI: 3.07 to 6.73; and (3) aOR = 6.03, 95% CI: 3.50 to 10.4; GAD-7: (1) aOR = 5.20; 95% CI: 2.60 to 10.4, (2) aOR = 6.03; 95% CI: 3.67 to 9.91, and (3) aOR = 6.24; 95% CI: 3.11 to 12.6]. CONCLUSIONS: Poor sleep quality is highly prevalent, as is mental health symptom burden, among WLWH and HIV-uninfected controls. Future longitudinal studies are necessary to clarify the directionality of the relationship.

Associations between HIV, antiretroviral therapy and preterm birth in the US Women's Interagency HIV Study, 1995-2018: a prospective cohort.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the associations of HIV infection with preterm birth (PTB), and of HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART) with PTB. METHODS: We analysed singleton live-born pregnancies among women from 1995 to 2019 in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a prospective cohort of US women with, or at risk for, HIV. The primary exposures were HIV status and ART use before delivery [none, monotherapy or dual therapy, or highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)]. The primary outcome was PTB < 34 weeks, and, secondarily, < 28 and < 37 weeks. We analysed self-reported birth data, and separately modelled the associations between HIV and PTB, and between ART and PTB, among women with HIV. We used modified Poisson regression, and adjusted for age, race, parity, tobacco use and delivery year, and, when modelling the impact of ART, duration from HIV diagnosis to delivery, nadir CD4 count, and pre-pregnancy viral load and CD4 count. RESULTS: We analysed 488 singleton deliveries (56% exposed to HIV) to 383 women. The risk of PTB < 34 weeks was similar among women with and without HIV, but the risk of PTB < 37 weeks was higher [32% vs. 23%; adjusted risk ratio (aRR) = 1.43; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-1.91] among women with HIV. The risk of PTB < 34 weeks was lower among women with HIV receiving HAART than among those receiving no ART (7% vs. 26%; aRR:0.19; 95% CI: 0.08-0.44). The associations between HAART and PTB < 28 and < 37 weeks were similar. CONCLUSIONS: Antiretroviral therapy exposure was associated with a decreased risk of PTB among a US cohort of women with HIV. Given the growing concerns about ART and adverse pregnancy outcomes, this finding that ART may be protective for PTB is reassuring.

Prevalence of COVID-19-Related Social Disruptions and Effects on Psychosocial Health in a Mixed-Serostatus Cohort of Men and Women.

OBJECTIVES: This study describes prevention behavior and psychosocial health among people living with HIV (PLHIV) and HIV-negative people during the early wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. We assessed differences by HIV status and associations between social disruption and psychosocial health. DESIGN: A cross-sectional telephone/videoconference administered survey of 3411 PLHIV and HIV-negative participants in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study/WIHS Combined Cohort Study (MWCCS). METHODS: An instrument combining new and validated measures was developed to assess COVID-19 prevention efforts, social disruptions (loss of employment, childcare, health insurance, and financial supports), experiences of abuse, and psychosocial health. Interviews were performed between April and June 2020. Associations between social disruptions and psychosocial health were explored using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for sociodemographics and HIV status. RESULTS: Almost all (97.4%) participants reported COVID-19 prevention behavior; 40.1% participants reported social disruptions, and 34.3% reported health care appointment disruption. Men living with HIV were more likely than HIV-negative men to experience social disruptions (40.6% vs. 32.9%; P < 0.01), whereas HIV-negative women were more likely than women with HIV to experience social disruptions (51.1% vs. 39.8%, P < 0.001). Participants who experienced ≥2 social disruptions had significantly higher odds of depression symptoms [aOR = 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12 to 1.56], anxiety (aOR = 1.63; 95% CI: 1.17 to 2.27), and social support dissatisfaction (aOR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.26 to 2.60). CONCLUSIONS: This study builds on emerging literature demonstrating the psychosocial health impact related to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing context specific to PLHIV. The ongoing pandemic requires structural and social interventions to decrease social disruption and address psychosocial health needs among the most vulnerable populations.

Definition and Characteristics of Behavioral Medicine, and Main Tasks and Goals of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine-an International Delphi Study.

BACKGROUND: In the past decades, behavioral medicine has attained global recognition. Due to its global reach, a critical need has emerged to consider whether the original definition of behavioral medicine is still valid, comprehensive, and inclusive, and to reconsider the main tasks and goals of the International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM), as the umbrella organization in the field. The purpose of the present study was to (i) update the definition and scope of behavioral medicine and its defining characteristics; and (ii) develop a proposal on ISBM's main tasks and goals. METHOD: Our study used the Delphi method. A core group prepared a discussion paper. An international Delphi panel rated questions and provided comments. The panel intended to reach an a priori defined level of consensus (i.e., 70%). RESULTS: The international panel reached consensus on an updated definition and scope of behavioral medicine as a field of research and practice that builds on collaboration among multiple disciplines. These disciplines are concerned with development and application of behavioral and biomedical evidence across the disease continuum in clinical and public health domains. Consensus was reached on a proposal for ISBM's main tasks and goals focused on supporting communication and collaboration across disciplines and participating organizations; stimulating research, education, and practice; and supporting individuals and organizations in the field. CONCLUSION: The consensus on definition and scope of behavioral medicine and ISBM's tasks and goals provides a foundational step toward achieving these goals.