Differential diffusion of HIV technologies by gender: the case of highly active antiretroviral therapy

How Do Gender Differences in Quality of Care Vary Across Medicare Advantage Plans?

BACKGROUND

Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) quality measures have long been used to compare care across health plans and to study racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities among Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries. However, possible gender differences in seniors' quality of care have received less attention.

OBJECTIVE

To test for the presence and nature of any gender differences in quality of care across MA Plans, overall and by domain; to identify those most at risk of poor care.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional analysis of individual-level HEDIS measure scores from 23.8 million records using binomial mixed-effect models to estimate the effect of gender on performance. For each measure, we assess variation in gender gaps and their correlation with plan performance.

PARTICIPANTS

Beneficiaries from 456 MA plans in 2011-2012 HEDIS data.

MAIN MEASURES

Performance on 32 of 34 HEDIS measures which were available in both measurement years. The two excluded measures had mean performance scores below 10%.

KEY RESULTS

Women experienced better quality of care than men for 22/32 measures, with most pertaining to screening or treatment. Men experienced better quality on nine measures, including four related to cardiovascular disease and three to potentially harmful drug-disease interactions. Plans varied substantially in the magnitude of gender gaps for 21/32 measures; in general, the gender gap in quality of care was least favorable to men in low-performing plans.

CONCLUSIONS

Women generally experienced better quality of care than men. However, women experienced poorer care for cardiovascular disease-related intermediate outcomes and potentially harmful drug-disease interactions. Quality improvement may be especially important for men in low-performing plans and for cardiovascular-related care and drug-disease interactions for women. Gender-stratified reporting could reveal gender gaps, identify plans for which care varies by gender, and motivate efforts to address faults and close the gaps in the delivery system.

Female and male differences in AIDS diagnosis rates among people who inject drugs in large U.S. metro areas from 1993 to 2007

PURPOSE

We estimated female and male incident AIDS diagnosis rates (IARs) among people who inject drugs (PWID) in U.S. metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) over time to assess whether declines in IARs varied by sex after combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) dissemination.

METHODS

We compared IARs and 95% confidence intervals for female and male PWID in 95 of the most populous MSAs. To stabilize estimates, we aggregated data across three-year periods, selecting a period immediately preceding cART (1993-1995) and the most recent after the introduction of cART for which data were available (2005-2007). We assessed disparities by comparing IAR 95% confidence intervals for overlap, female-to-male risk ratios, and disparity change scores.

RESULTS

IARs declined an average of 58% for female PWID and 67% for male PWID between the pre-cART and cART periods. Among female PWID, IARs were significantly lower in the later period relative to the pre-cART period in 48% of MSAs. Among male PWID, IARs were significantly lower over time in 86% of MSAs.

CONCLUSIONS

IARs among female PWID in large U.S. MSAs have declined more slowly than among male PWID. This suggests a need for increased targeting of prevention and treatment programs and for research on MSA level conditions that may drive differences in declining AIDS rates among female and male PWID.

Influence of gender on receipt of guideline-based antiretroviral therapy in the era of HAART

United States HIV guidelines delineate preferred antiretroviral treatment (ART) and discourage use of sub-potent, toxic, or adversely interacting combinations. It is unclear how often patients receive guideline concordant ART and what factors are correlated with receiving guideline-inconsistent ART. The objective of this study was to assess ART reported by participants of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) and the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) to determine whether gender is associated with receipt of guideline-inconsistent ART. ART reported by WIHS and MACS participants from 1 January 2001, to 31 December 2007, was assessed for concordance with HIV guidelines. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations estimated the crude and adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals associated with guideline-inconsistent regimens. Of 2937 participants, 463 subjects (WIHS n = 263; MACS n = 200) reported guideline-inconsistent ART during the study period. Age > 50 years (aOR = 2.22, 95% CI 1.14, 4.33) and HIV-1 RNA (aOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.08, 1.25) but not participant gender (aOR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.88, 1.65) were associated with guideline-inconsistent ART. The prevalence of guideline-inconsistent ART peaked in 2004; however, there was not a statistically significant increase or decrease over time. Guideline-inconsistent ART was not related to gender, but was often used by older patients and patients with higher viral loads. Monitoring ART quality based on concordance with expert guidelines could improve treatment outcomes in a substantial number of patients.

Trends in mortality and causes of death among women with HIV in the United States: a 10-year study

BACKGROUND

To assess trends in mortality and cause of death for women with HIV, we studied deaths over a 10-year period among participants in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a representative US cohort.

METHODS

Deaths were ascertained by National Death Index Plus match, and causes of death determined by death certificate.

RESULTS

From 1995 through 2004, 710 of 2792 HIV-infected participants died. During this interval, the standardized mortality ratio fell from a high of 24.7 in 1996 to a plateau with a mean of 10.3 from 2001 to 2004. Over the decade, deaths from non-AIDS causes increased and accounted for the majority of deaths by 2001-2004. The most common non-AIDS causes of death were trauma or overdose, liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and malignancy. Independent predictors of mortality besides HIV-associated variables were depressive symptoms and active hepatitis B or C. Women who were overweight or obese were significantly less likely to die of AIDS than women of normal weight.

CONCLUSIONS

In the Women's Interagency HIV Study, the death rate has plateaued in recent years. Although HIV-associated factors predicted AIDS and non-AIDS deaths, other treatable conditions predicted mortality. Further gains in reducing mortality among HIV-infected women may require broader access to therapies for depression, viral hepatitis, and HIV itself.

Disparities in reported reasons for not initiating or stopping antiretroviral treatment among a diverse sample of persons living with HIV

BACKGROUND

Disparities in the use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV disease have been documented across race, gender, and substance use groups.

OBJECTIVE

The current analysis compares self-reported reasons for never taking or stopping ART among a diverse sample of men and women living with HIV.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional interview.

PARTICIPANTS

HIV + (N = 3,818) adults, 968 of whom reported discontinuing or never using ART.

MEASUREMENTS

Computerized self-administered and interviewer-administered self-reported demographic and treatment variables, including gender, race, ethnicity, CD4 count, detectable viral load, and reported reasons for not taking antiretroviral therapy.

RESULTS

Despite equivalent use of ART in the current sample, African-American respondents were 1.7 times more likely to report wanting to hide their HIV status and 1.7 times more likely to report a change in doctors/clinics as reasons for stopping ART (p = .049, and p = .042) and had odds 4.5 times those of non-African Americans of reporting waiting for viral marker counts to worsen (p = < .0001). There was a lower tendency (OR = 0.4) for women to endorse concerns of keeping their HIV status hidden as a reason for stopping ART compared to men (p = .003). Although those with an IDU history were less likely to be on ART, no differences in reasons for stopping or never initiating ART were found between those with and without an IDU history.

CONCLUSIONS

A desire to conceal HIV status as well as a change in doctors/clinics as reasons for discontinuing ART were considerably more common among African Americans, suggesting that perceived HIV/AIDS stigma is an obstacle to maintenance of treatment. Findings also indicate differences in reasons for stopping ART by gender and a perceived desire to wait for counts to worsen as a reason for not taking ART by African Americans, regardless of detectable viral load, CD4 count, age, education, employment, sexual orientation, and site.

Gender-based differences in treatment and outcome among HIV patients in South India

OBJECTIVE

To describe gender-based differences in disease progression, treatment, and outcome among patients receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in South India.

METHODS

Therapy-naïve patients initiating HAART between February 1996 and June 2006 at a tertiary HIV referral center in Chennai, South India, were analyzed using the YRG CARE HIV Observational Database. Patients with 1 year of follow-up after initiating HAART were examined to investigate immunological and clinical outcomes, including the development of adverse events to therapy and opportunistic infections.

RESULTS

All previously therapy-naïve patients who initiated HAART with at least 1 year of follow-up (n = 1972) were analyzed. At enrollment into care, women had higher CD4 counts, lower hemoglobin, and higher body mass index (BMI) than their male counterparts (p < 0.05). At the time of initiating therapy, women had higher CD4 counts and lower hemoglobin (p < 0.05); women continued to have higher CD4 counts at 12 months (p < 0.05). After 1 year following HAART initiation, significantly more men developed tuberculosis and Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (p < 0.05), more women experienced lactic acidosis and nausea, and more men developed immune reconstitution syndrome (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Significant physiological, immunological, and clinical differences exist between men and women initiating HAART in a resource-limited setting in South India. Future studies should examine whether clinical management strategies should be different for men and women in resource-limited settings.