Situación de VIH en usuarios de drogas inyectables en Colombia

HIV and Substance Use in Latin America: A Scoping Review

This scoping review aims to explore the interplay between substance use (SU) and HIV in Latin America (LA). Database searches yielded 3481 references; 196 were included. HIV prevalence among people who used substances (PWUS) ranged from 2.8–15.2%. SU definitions were variable throughout studies, and thus data were not easily comparable. In 2019, only 2% of new HIV infections were attributed to injection drug use (IDU) in LA. Factors associated with HIV among PWUS included being female, IDU and homelessness, and PWUS were likely to engage in risky sexual behaviors, start antiretroviral treatment late, have poor adherence, have treatment failure, be lost to follow-up, have comorbidities, and experience higher mortality rates and lower quality of life, as has been reported in PLWH with SU in other regions. Five intervention studies were identified, and only one was effective at reducing HIV incidence in PWUS. Interventions in other regions have varying success depending on context-specific characteristics, highlighting the need to conduct more research in the LA region. Though progress has been made in establishing SU as a major concern in people living with HIV (PLWH), much more is yet to be done to reduce the burden of HIV and SU in LA.

HIV Prevalence and Associated Factors in Key Groups and General Population Treated at a Health Care Institution in Colombia in 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Research conducted on the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and its associated factors among key groups in Colombia is scarce. The few available studies show heterogeneity in their results and increasing trends of infection. This study analyses the prevalence of HIV and associated factors in key groups served at a health care institution in Colombia in 2019.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study with the sample comprised of 5771 subjects from the general population, the LGBTI community, sex workers, people who inject drugs and prisoners. The diagnosis was based on a fourth-generation ELISA. Variables related to sociodemographics, healthcare, sexual risk factors and biological measures of infected subjects were analysed. Prevalence and odds ratios were calculated with 95% confidence intervals, and logistic regression models were performed to identify confounding variables and interactions between independent variables using SPSS 25.0.

RESULTS

The prevalence of HIV was 0.27% among the general population, 0.53% among sex workers, 0.66% among the homeless, 2.44% among transgender persons, 2.44% among prisoners, 5.36% among men who have sex with men and 7.92% among injection drug users. The explanatory model showed higher prevalence among men, those with higher education levels, those with no health coverage, those who have sex with people from key groups and those with sexually transmitted infections, with some interactions between the latter variables.

CONCLUSION

A high prevalence of infection was found in the key groups, while the main explanatory factors for high infection rates were identified. The data show that national and global goals related to controlling HIV have not been achieved mainly in groups that are at a higher risk of obtaining and transmitting it and, paradoxically, also that are excluded from the national health coverage.

Prevalence of HIV/Hepatitis C Virus Co-Infection and Injection Risk Correlations in People Who Inject Drugs in Colombia: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Respondent Driven Sampling

Background: In Colombia, an exponential growth of people who inject drugs (PWID) has been reported over the past decades. The main burden of disease in PWID is attributed to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) and their co-infection is associated with poor prognosis, high morbidity and treatment related implications. Nevertheless, the prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection in Colombian PWIDs is unknown. Objective: To determine the prevalence, demographic characteristics, and injecting behaviors of HIV/HCV co-infected PWID in Colombia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 1,123 PWID recruited by respondent driven sampling in five Colombian cities between January and June of 2014. Each participant completed a quantitative survey, and blood samples for HIV and HCV antibody testing were obtained. A multinomial logistic regression was used for statistical analysis. Results: Average participant age was 26.3 ± 6.5 years, and the majority was male (86%). HIV or HCV mono-infection prevalence was 27.6%, while co-infection was 3.3%. Compared with PWID with mono-infection, co-infected PWID exhibited higher odds of: injecting ≥4 times daily (OR: 3.5; CI: 1.7-7.2; p < .001), cleaning needles and syringes with water (OR 3.2; CI: 1.6-6.3; p < .001), passing drug mix between syringes (OR: 2.7; CI: 1.3-5.3; p = .04), injecting on illegal indoor shooting galleries (OR: 2.4; CI: 1.0-5.3, p = .02), and getting injected by someone who charges for injecting (OR 2.3; CI: 1.0-5.2; p = .04). Conclusion: Prevalence of HIV/HCV co-infection among PWID in Colombia is lower than that reported in other countries. However, addressing the identified demographic characteristics and injection risk behaviors of co-infected PWID is essential for the implementation of broadly available harm reduction interventions as well as routine HIV/HCV testing and treatment strategies aiming to control the spread of both viruses and their associated morbidity and mortality.

Incidencia de tuberculosis, VIH e Índice de Desarrollo Humano en Colombia: un análisis por departamentos 2005-2014

Objetivo: Correlacionar la incidencia de tuberculosis pulmonar, tuberculosis extrapulmonar y VIH con el índice de desarrollo humano por departamentos en Colombia entre los años 2005 y 2014.Métodos: Estudio ecológico en 29 departamentos de Colombia, con datos de las secretarias de salud, SIVIGILA y del Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo. Los análisis se realizaron con medidas de resumen, intervalos de confianza, Kruskal Wallis y correlación de Spearman en SPSS.Resultados: Se encuentra incremento en la incidencia de tuberculosis pulmonar y VIH en el lapso estudiado. Por otra parte, no se halló correlación entre el IDH con la tasa de tuberculosis pulmonar; sin embargo, con la tuberculosis extrapulmonar y el VIH se identificaron correlaciones positivas y significativas con Rho Spearman de 0,320 y 0,324 respectivamente.Conclusión: Este estudio puso de manifiesto una correlación positiva y significativa entre la infección por VIH, tuberculosis extrapulmonar e índice de desarrollo humano que indica que las regiones del país con mayor nivel de desarrollo presentan las mayores tasas de infección. Esta información es importante para que las autoridades sanitarias realicen acciones que ayuden a comprender las causas que explican este fenómeno.