Statins Utilization in Adults With HIV: The Treatment Gap and Predictors of Statin Initiation

Statin use for cardiovascular disease prevention: perceptions among people living with HIV in the United States

BACKGROUND

People living with HIV (PLWH) may be at heightened risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statin use and lifestyle changes reduce the risk of CVD but remain under-prescribed among PLWH. The objective of this study was to characterize knowledge of CVD and statin use, current usage, barriers to taking statins, and information desired by PLWH to improve statin uptake among PLWH in Los Angeles, CA.

METHODS

Between April 2019 and April 2020, we conducted four focus group discussions (n = 37) with patients across three public community health clinics that serve PLWH in Los Angeles County, California. All clinics participated in a larger study to improve statin prescribing for PLWH. We asked about knowledge of statins, willingness to take a statin, possible barriers to statin usage, preferred information sources for health information, and desired information about statins. We utilized standard qualitative content analysis methods to identify themes.

RESULTS

We found a range in the awareness of statins, with some participants reporting never having heard of statins while others had a history of statin use. There were concerns about the potential long-term effect of statin use, but participants expressed willingness to use CVD medications generally and statins specifically, especially if recommended by their healthcare provider. Participants also expressed interest in potential alternatives to statin usage such as exercising regularly and nutritious eating.

CONCLUSIONS

More interventions are needed to increase statin use among PLWH to improve CVD outcomes, which also has implications for HIV progression. Clinics should aim to increase patient and provider knowledge about CVD risk and statin use for PLWH and provide shared decision-making tools that are easy to use and culturally appropriate.

Weight and metabolic changes among virally suppressed people with HIV who switched to co-formulated bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to investigate the evolution of weight, lipid profiles, and glucose homeostasis among virally suppressed people with HIV (PWH) who switched to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF).

METHODS

PWH with viral suppression who switched to BIC/FTC/TAF in Taiwan between October 2019 and May 2021 were followed for 96 weeks to examine changes in weight, lipid profiles (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and triglyceride (TG)), and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels.

RESULTS

889 PWH with an average weight of 72.1 kg at baseline were included. At week 96, more than 95% of PWH consistently maintained plasma HIV RNA load <50 copies/mL at each 24-week interval of follow-up, while the weight change was small (+0.7 kg, P < 0.0001), although statistically significant. Baseline levels of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, and HbA1c were 191.8 mg/dL, 114.2 mg/dL, 48.9 mg/dL, 174.3 mg/dL, and 5.31%, respectively. After 96 weeks, changes were observed in TC (-11.6 mg/dL, P < 0.0001), LDL-C (-3.4 mg/dL, P = 0.0084), HDL-C (+0.6 mg/dL, P = 0.1089), TG (-30.2, P < 0.0001), and HbA1c (+0.12%, P < 0.0001). A 5% or more weight gain was associated with age of 30-40 years, normal weight at baseline, and prior use of non-integrase inhibitors or tenofovir disoproxil fumarate. Obesity was associated with development of both dyslipidaemia and diabetes mellitus after switch.

CONCLUSIONS

Stable switch to BIC/FTC/TAF maintained high rates of viral suppression and had a small effect on weight and metabolic changes in virally suppressed PWH. Follow-up of the weight and metabolic changes is warranted in PWH on long-term antiretroviral therapy.

Under-utilization of statins among people with HIV who were aged 40 years or older

From June 2022 to April 2023, 1629 HIV-positive participants were assessed for the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The 10-year ASCVD risk of <5 %, 5 % to <7.5 %, ≥7.5 % to <20 % and ≥20 % were 59.9 %, 14.4 %, 20.7 % and 5.0 %, respectively; 440 (27.0 %) participants met the criteria for statin therapy, but only 171 (38.8 %) were prescribed statins.