Chronic hepatitis C virus infection is associated with all-cause and liver-related mortality in a cohort of HIV-infected patients with alcohol problems

Infectious Diseases Among People Experiencing Homelessness: A Systematic Review of the Literature in the United States and Canada, 2003-2022

Homelessness increases the risk of acquiring an infectious disease. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to identify quantitative data related to infectious diseases and homelessness. We searched Google Scholar, PubMed, and SCOPUS for quantitative literature published from January 2003 through December 2022 in English from the United States and Canada. We excluded literature on vaccine-preventable diseases and HIV because these diseases were recently reviewed. Of the 250 articles that met inclusion criteria, more than half were on hepatitis C virus or Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Other articles were on COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, Staphylococcus aureus, group A Streptococcus, mpox (formerly monkeypox), 5 sexually transmitted infections, and gastrointestinal or vectorborne pathogens. Most studies showed higher prevalence, incidence, or measures of risk for infectious diseases among people experiencing homelessness as compared with people who are housed or the general population. Although having increased published data that quantify the infectious disease risks of homelessness is encouraging, many pathogens that are known to affect people globally who are not housed have not been evaluated in the United States or Canada. Future studies should focus on additional pathogens and factors leading to a disproportionately high incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases among people experiencing homelessness.

Hepatitis C virus: A critical approach to who really needs treatment

Introduction of effective drugs in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global eradication target by 2030. Propositions have been made to screen the general population and treat all HCV carriers irrespective of the disease status. A year ago the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus appeared causing a worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 disease. Huge financial resources were redirected, and the pandemic became the first priority in every country. In this review, we examined the feasibility of the World Health Organization elimination program and the actual natural course of HCV infection. We also identified and analyzed certain comorbidity factors that may aggravate the progress of HCV and some marginalized subpopulations with characteristics favoring HCV dissemination. Alcohol consumption, HIV coinfection and the presence of components of metabolic syndrome including obesity, hyperuricemia and overt diabetes were comorbidities mostly responsible for increased liver-related morbidity and mortality of HCV. We also examined the significance of special subpopulations like people who inject drugs and males having sex with males. Finally, we proposed a different micro-elimination screening and treatment program that can be implemented in all countries irrespective of income. We suggest that screening and treatment of HCV carriers should be limited only in these particular groups.

Hepatitis C virus infection and risk of liver-related and non-liver-related deaths: a population-based cohort study in Naples, southern Italy

Background

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection represents a global health issue with severe implications on morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of HCV infection on all-cause, liver-related, and non-liver-related mortality in a population living in an area with a high prevalence of HCV infection before the advent of Direct-Acting Antiviral (DAA) therapies, and to identify factors associated with cause-specific mortality among HCV-infected individuals.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study on 4492 individuals enrolled between 2003 and 2006 in a population-based seroprevalence survey on viral hepatitis infections in the province of Naples, southern Italy. Study participants provided serum for antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) and HCV RNA testing. Information on vital status to December 2017 and cause of death were retrieved through record-linkage with the mortality database. Hazard ratios (HRs) for cause-specific mortality and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using Fine-Grey regression models.

Results

Out of 626 deceased people, 20 (3.2%) died from non-natural causes, 56 (8.9%) from liver-related conditions, 550 (87.9%) from non-liver-related causes. Anti-HCV positive people were at higher risk of death from all causes (HR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.12–1.70) and liver-related causes (HR = 5.90, 95% CI: 3.00–11.59) than anti-HCV negative ones. Individuals with chronic HCV infection reported an elevated risk of death due to liver-related conditions (HR = 6.61, 95% CI: 3.29–13.27) and to any cause (HR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.18–1.94). The death risk of anti-HCV seropositive people with negative HCV RNA was similar to that of anti-HCV seronegative ones. Among anti-HCV positive people, liver-related mortality was associated with a high FIB-4 index score (HR = 39.96, 95% CI: 4.73–337.54).

Conclusions

These findings show the detrimental impact of HCV infection on all-cause mortality and, particularly, liver-related mortality. This effect emerged among individuals with chronic infection while those with cleared infection had the same risk of uninfected ones. These results underline the need to identify through screening all people with chronic HCV infection notably in areas with a high prevalence of HCV infection, and promptly provide them with DAAs treatment to achieve progressive HCV elimination and reduce HCV-related mortality.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12879-021-06336-9.

Computer-based alcohol reduction intervention for alcohol-using HIV/HCV co-infected Russian women in clinical care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background

Russia has a high prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections. In 2018, over one million persons were living with HIV (PLWH); over a third were women. A high proportion of HIV-infected women are co-infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), and many consume alcohol, which adversely affects HIV and HCV treatment and prognosis. Despite the triple epidemics of alcohol use, HIV and HCV, and the need for interventions to reduce alcohol use among HIV/HCV co-infected women, evidence-based alcohol reduction interventions for this vulnerable population are limited. To address this gap, we developed a clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of a computer-based intervention to reduce alcohol consumption among HIV/HCV co-infected women in clinical care.

Methods

In this two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, we propose to evaluate the efficacy of a culturally adapted alcohol reduction intervention delivered via a computer for HIV/HCV co-infected Russian women. The study population consists of women 21–45 years old with confirmed HIV/HCV co-infection who currently use alcohol. Intervention efficacy is assessed by a novel alcohol biomarker, ethyl glucuronide (EtG), and biomarkers of HIV and HCV disease progression. Women are randomized to trial conditions in a 1:1 allocation ratio, using a computer-generated algorithm to develop the assignment sequence and concealment of allocation techniques to minimize assignment bias. Women are randomized to either (1) the computer-based alcohol reduction intervention or (2) the standard-of-care control condition. We will use an intent-to-treat analysis and logistic and linear generalized estimating equations to evaluate intervention efficacy, relative to the standard of care, in enhancing the proportion of women with a laboratory-confirmed negative EtG at each research study visit over the 9-month follow-up period. Additional analyses will evaluate intervention effects on HIV (viral load and CD4+ levels) and HCV markers of disease progression (FibroScan).

Discussion

The proposed trial design and analysis provides an appropriate conceptual and methodological framework to assess the efficacy of the computer-based intervention. We propose to recruit 200 participants.

The intervention, if efficacious, may be an efficient and cost-effective alcohol reduction strategy that is scalable and can be readily disseminated and integrated into clinical care in Russia to reduce women’s alcohol consumption and enhance HIV/HCV prognosis.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03362476. Registered on 5 December 2017

Practice facilitation to implement alcohol-related care in Veterans Health Administration liver clinics: a study protocol

Background

Alcohol-related care, including screening, brief intervention, and provision of/referral to medication or behavioral treatments for alcohol use disorder, could be delivered in liver clinics to better reach patients with chronic liver conditions. However, the provision of alcohol-related care in liver clinics is currently suboptimal. Practice facilitation is an evidence-based implementation strategy that may address barriers, harness facilitators, and optimize the implementation of alcohol-related care in liver clinic settings using a clinic-centered approach. We report the protocol of a study to test a practice facilitation intervention to implement alcohol-related care in four Veterans Health Administration liver clinics.

Methods

This study will employ a Hybrid Type 3 effectiveness-implementation design, in which implementation outcomes are considered primary and clinical outcomes secondary. Intervention and evaluation design were informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Qualitative data collected from clinical stakeholders and patients were used to tailor the intervention. The intervention involves a 6-month period of external practice facilitation, including regular meetings to identify clinic goals, challenges, and solutions; engagement of clinic champions; provision of training and development of educational materials for clinic staff and patients; and performance monitoring and feedback. Ongoing formative evaluation involves the collection of quantitative facilitator tracking data and qualitative data from meeting notes and patient interviews to describe intervention acceptability, feasibility, and adoption, and adjust implementation as needed. In the summative evaluation, implementation outcomes (clinic rates of screening, brief intervention, and treatment referral/receipt) and clinical outcomes (unhealthy alcohol use, liver health) will be assessed among patients in participating clinics using secondary electronic health record data and interrupted time series analysis.

Discussion

This will be the first study to our knowledge to test practice facilitation to implement alcohol-related care in liver clinic settings. Results from formative and summative evaluation will inform a framework for the successful implementation of effective alcohol-related care through practice facilitation in liver clinics, which may ultimately lead to better health outcomes for patients with chronic liver disease.

Motivation to Quit Drinking in Individuals Coinfected with HIV and Hepatitis C

Alcohol consumption is common among individuals coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) despite the uniquely harmful effects in this population. Limited research has examined factors that could influence drinking reduction or cessation among HIV/HCV coinfected persons; this study investigates motivation to quit. Participants were 110 alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV coinfected patients recruited from medical clinics. Participants self-reported 90-day drinking frequency and intensity; alcohol-related problems; reasons to quit drinking; reasons to drink; and motivation to quit drinking. Participants consumed alcohol on 54.1 (± 26.9) of the past 90 days. In a multivariate model that controlled for demographic variables, motivation to quit drinking was directly associated with alcohol-related problems (β_y·x = 0.35, p = .007) and reasons to quit drinking (β_y·x = 0.23, p = .021), and inversely associated with drinking for enhancement (β_y·x = - 0.36, p = .004). This study identified several factors associated with motivation to quit drinking in a sample of alcohol-consuming HIV/HCV patients.

Sleep disturbances in HIV-HCV coinfected patients: indications for clinical management in the HCV cure era (ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH cohort)

OBJECTIVES

Although common among patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV), sleep disturbances (SD) are still poorly documented in this population in the HCV cure era. This longitudinal study aimed at analysing SD in HIV-HCV coinfected patients and identifying their clinical and sociobehavioural correlates.

METHODS

We used 5-year annual follow-up data from 1047 participants in the French National Agency for Research on Aids and Viral Hepatitis Cohort 13 'Hépatite et VIH' (ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH) cohort of HIV-HCV coinfected patients to identify clinical (medical records) and behavioural (self-administered questionnaires) correlates of SD (mixed-effects logistic regression). SD were identified using one item documenting the occurrence of insomnia or difficulty falling asleep (ANRS 'Action Coordonnée 24' self-reported symptoms checklist), and two items documenting perceived sleep quality (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression and WHO Quality of Life HIV-specific brief scales).

RESULTS

Seven hundred and sixteen (68.4%) patients with completed self-administered questionnaires reported SD at their most recent follow-up visit. In the multivariable model, hazardous alcohol consumption (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption score ≥ 4 for men, ≥ 3 for women) (adjusted odds ratio = 1.61; 95% confidence interval: 1.09-2.36), depressive symptoms (6.78; 4.36-10.55) and the number of other physical and psychological self-reported symptoms (1.10; 1.07-1.13) were associated independently with SD after adjustment for sex, age and employment status. HCV cure was not associated significantly with SD.

CONCLUSION

SD remain frequent in HIV-HCV coinfected patients and are associated with a series of modifiable behavioural risk factors. Independent of HCV cure, improved screening and comprehensive management of alcohol use, physical and psychological self-reported symptoms and depression are essential in this population. Closer investigation of these risk factors of SDs may both increase sleep quality and indirectly improve patients' clinical outcomes.

Influence of comorbid drug use disorder on receipt of evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorder among VA patients with alcohol use disorder and Hepatitis C and/or HIV

BACKGROUND

Alcohol use is risky for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and/or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, but alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment is underutilized in these populations. Comorbid drug use disorders (DUD) are common, but their influence on AUD treatment receipt is understudied. We evaluated the association between DUD and AUD treatment receipt in two national samples of patients with AUD, those with HIV and those with HCV, in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration.

METHODS

Samples included patients with AUD and HCV and/or HIV among positive alcohol screens (AUDIT-C≥5) documented 10/01/09-5/30/13 in the national electronic health record. Poisson regression models estimated incidence rate ratios for receiving specialty treatment (stop codes) and pharmacotherapy (filled prescription for naltrexone, disulfiram, acamprosate, or topiramate) within 365 days of positive alcohol screening for patients with DUD versus those without. Models were clustered on patient and adjusted for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Among 22,039 patients with HCV/AUD, 45.2% (N = 9,964) had DUD, which was associated with receiving specialty treatment [adjusted incidence rate ratio: 1.89 (95% confidence interval 1.82-1.96)] and pharmacotherapy [aIRR: 1.50 (1.37-1.65)]. Among 1,834 patients with HIV/AUD, 56.9% (N = 1,043) had DUD, which was associated with receiving specialty treatment [aIRR: 1.94 (1.68-2.24)], but not pharmacotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of AUD treatment receipt among patients with AUD and HCV and/or HIV were low overall, but likelihood of treatment receipt was generally higher among those with comorbid DUD. Future research should investigate mechanisms underlying these associations, such as enhanced readiness for treatment or differential provider prescribing or referral practices.

Hepatitis C infection substantially reduces survival of alcohol-dependent patients

Background

Heavy alcohol use is associated with life-threatening complications including progressive liver disease. We aimed to analyze the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on survival and liver-related death in alcohol-dependent patients.

Patients and methods

This is a longitudinal study in patients seeking treatment of alcohol abuse between 2000 and 2010. Information on alcohol use characteristics, alcoholic liver disease, and HCV infection were obtained at entry. Cumulated mortality and causes of death were ascertained through clinical records and death registry.

Results

A total of 819 patients (81.6% men) underwent ethanol detoxification; age was 44 (inter-quartile range [IQR] 38-51) years; the duration of heavy alcohol use was 14 (IQR 6-24) years; and the alcohol consumption was 190 (IQR 120-250) g/day. The prevalence of HCV infection was 15.8%. There were 129 (16.9%) deaths during 5,117 persons-year (p-y) of follow-up (median follow-up 6.4 [IQR 4.3-9.2] years); 31 (24.6%) deaths were observed among the HCV-positive patients, and 98 (15.4%) deaths were observed among the HCV-negative patients. The mortality rate was significantly (P=0.03) higher among the HCV-positive patients (3.84×100 p-y; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.70, 5.46) than among the HCV-negative patients (2.27×100 p-y; 95% CI: 1.86, 2.77). Survival times for the HCV infected patients were 34% shorter (time ratio relative to HCV negative: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.51, 0.86). The main causes of death in the HCV-positive and -negative patients were liver-related mortality (48.4%) and neoplasia (22.4%), respectively. The liver-related mortality was significantly higher among the HCV-positive patients (adjusted sub-distribution hazard ratio [asHR] 3.65; 95% CI: 1.72, 7.78; P=0.001).

Conclusion

HCV infection compromises the survival of patients with alcohol abuse/dependence. The new direct antiviral agents for the treatment of HCV infection may result in better clinical outcomes.

Effect of Hepatocellular Carcinoma on Mortality Among Individuals With Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C Infection in New York City, 2001-2012

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a complication of chronic hepatitis B and C virus (HBV and HCV) infection. New York City (NYC) has a high prevalence of HBV and HCV, and infected persons likely face increased mortality from HCC and other causes. We describe the mortality profile of NYC residents with HBV or HCV, emphasizing the contributions of HCC and HIV coinfection.

Methods

 Two existing data sets were combined to examine all individuals diagnosed with HBV or HCV in NYC first reported to the Health Department during 2001-2012 and their HCC, HIV, and vital status. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds of HCC diagnosis by viral hepatitis status, whereas Cox proportional hazard regression was used to estimate the hazard of death by HCC/HIV status.

Results

In total, 120 952 and 127 933 individuals were diagnosed with HBV or HCV, respectively. HCV-infected individuals had 17% higher odds of HCC diagnosis than HBV-infected individuals and 3.2 times higher odds of HIV coinfection. Those with HCV were twice as likely to die during the study period (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.04; 95% confidence interval, 1.96-2.12). The risk of death increased for those with HIV or HCC and was highest for those with both conditions.

Conclusions

HCC and HIV represent substantial risks to survival for both HBV- and HCV-infected individuals. Individuals with HBV need close monitoring and treatment, when indicated, and routine HCC screening. Those with HCV need increased, timely access to curative medications before developing liver disease.

Testing Nursing Sensitive Outcomes in Out-Patient Drug Addicts, with "Nursing Role Effectiveness Model"

Our aim was to identify factors that contribute to a better outcome in drug users and to understand the effectiveness of nursing interventions, by applying "Nursing Role Effectiveness Model" (NREM). It's a correlational, cross-sectional study with 180 drug users in a methadone program, randomly selected from three community services. We identified that treatment time, lower co-morbidities, less poly-drug use, family support and being employed contribute to a better quality of life, better mental health, less substance addiction consequences and more satisfaction with nursing care (p < 0.05). Those data were also related with nursing interventions using Structural Equation Model and we found that nursing care contributes 29% to health outcome improvement. The model revealed itself adequate to assess the effectiveness of nursing interventions (X²: 82.51/(34) = 2.426; p < 0.01, NFI = 0.927, CFI = 0.955, RFI = 0.903, GFI = 0.917, PGFI = 0.567, PCFI = 0.722, PNFI = 0.700, RMSEA = 0.089). Compared with the NREM original model, our findings reveal new relationships between the users' structural variables and the health outcomes and also relationship between units' structural variables and nurses' structural variables.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Heavy Alcohol Use on Clinical Outcomes in a Longitudinal Study of HIV Patients on ART

In a cohort of patients receiving care for HIV, we examined longitudinally the impact of past 30-day frequency of heavy drinking (consuming 5+ drinks on one occasion) on HIV-related (detectable viral load and CD4+ T cell count) and non-HIV-related (hemoglobin and biomarkers of kidney function and liver fibrosis) clinical outcomes and the extent to which these effects were due to reduced antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Data came from the Study to Understand the Natural History of HIV/AIDS in the Era of Effective Therapy. Between March 2004 and June 2006, 533 individuals receiving ART were recruited and followed every 6 months for six years. Using longitudinal mediation analysis, we estimated natural direct effects (NDE) of heavy drinking frequency (never, 1-3 times, or 4+ times in the past 30 days) on clinical outcomes and natural indirect effects (NIE) mediated via ART adherence. A one-level increase in heavy drinking frequency had a significant negative NDE on CD4+ T-cell counts (-10.61 cells/mm³; 95 % CI [-17.10, -4.12]) and a significant NIE through reduced ART adherence of -0.72 cells/mm³ (95 % CI [-1.28, -0.15]), as well as a significant NIE on risk of detectable viral load (risk ratio = 1.03; 95 % CI [1.00, 1.05]). Heavy drinking had a significant detrimental NIE on a combined index of 5-year mortality risk and detrimental NDE and total effect on a biomarker of liver fibrosis. Heavy drinking has deleterious effects on multiple clinical outcomes in people living with HIV, some of which are mediated through reduced ART adherence.

Assessing the Effect of Potential Reductions in Non-Hepatic Mortality on the Estimated Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatitis C Treatment in Early Stages of Liver Disease

BACKGROUND

Most cost-effectiveness analyses of hepatitis C (HCV) therapy focus on the benefits of reducing liver-related morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVES

Our objective was to assess how cost-effectiveness estimates of HCV therapy can vary depending on assumptions regarding the potential impact of HCV therapy on non-hepatic mortality.

METHODS

We adapted a state-transition model to include potential effects of HCV therapy on non-hepatic mortality. We assumed successful treatment could reduce non-hepatic mortality by as little as 0 % to as much as 100 %. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were computed comparing immediate treatment versus delayed treatment and comparing immediate treatment versus non-treatment.

RESULTS

Comparing immediate treatment versus delayed treatment, when we included a 44 % reduction in non-hepatic mortality following successful HCV treatment, the incremental cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained by HCV treatment fell by 76 % (from US$314,100 to US$76,900) for patients with no fibrosis and by 43 % (from US$62,500 to US$35,800) for patients with moderate fibrosis. Comparing immediate treatment versus non-treatment, assuming a 44 % reduction in non-hepatic mortality following successful HCV treatment, the incremental cost per QALY gained by HCV treatment fell by 64 % (from US$186,700 to US$67,300) for patients with no fibrosis and by 27 % (from US$35,000 to US$25,500) for patients with moderate fibrosis.

CONCLUSION

Including reductions in non-hepatic mortality from HCV treatment can have substantial effects on the estimated cost-effectiveness of treatment.

Alcohol use disorder and its impact on chronic hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus infections

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection frequently co-occur. AUD is associated with greater exposure to HCV infection, increased HCV infection persistence, and more extensive liver damage due to interactions between AUD and HCV on immune responses, cytotoxicity, and oxidative stress. Although AUD and HCV infection are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, HCV antiviral therapy is less commonly prescribed in individuals with both conditions. AUD is also common in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, which negatively impacts proper HIV care and adherence to antiretroviral therapy, and liver disease. In addition, AUD and HCV infection are also frequent within a proportion of patients with HIV infection, which negatively impacts liver disease. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding pathological interactions of AUD with hepatitis C infection, HIV infection, and HCV/HIV co-infection, as well as relating to AUD treatment interventions in these individuals.

Effect of alcohol consumption on all-cause and liver-related mortality among HIV-infected individuals

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to examine the association between levels of past and current alcohol consumption and all-cause and liver-related mortality among people living with HIV (PLWH).

METHODS

A prospective cohort study of 1855 PLWH in Baltimore, MD was carried out from 2000 to 2013. We ascertained alcohol use by (1) self-report (SR) through a computer-assisted self interview, and (2) medical record abstraction of provider-documented (PD) alcohol use. SR alcohol consumption was categorized as heavy (men: > 4 drinks/day or > 14 drinks/week; women: > 3 drinks/day or > 7 drinks/week), moderate (any alcohol consumption less than heavy), and none. We calculated the cumulative incidence of liver-related mortality and fitted adjusted cause-specific regression models to account for competing risks.

RESULTS

All-cause and liver-related mortality rates (MRs) were 43.0 and 7.2 per 1000 person-years (PY), respectively. All-cause mortality was highest among SR nondrinkers with PD recent (< 6 months) heavy drinking (MR = 85.4 deaths/1000 PY) and lowest among SR moderate drinkers with no PD history of heavy drinking (MR = 23.0 deaths/1000 PY). Compared with SR moderate drinkers with no PD history of heavy drinking, SR nondrinkers and moderate drinkers with PD recent heavy drinking had higher liver-related mortality [hazard ratio (HR) = 7.28 and 3.52, respectively]. However, SR nondrinkers and moderate drinkers with a PD drinking history of > 6 months ago showed similar rates of liver-related mortality (HR = 1.06 and 2.00, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Any heavy alcohol consumption was associated with all-cause mortality among HIV-infected individuals, while only recent heavy consumption was associated with liver-related mortality. Because mortality risk among nondrinkers varies substantially by drinking history, current consumption alone is insufficient to assess risk.

Alcohol Use and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection: Current Knowledge, Implications, and Future Directions

Alcohol use is common among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this narrative review, we describe literature regarding alcohol's impact on transmission, care, coinfections, and comorbidities that are common among people living with HIV (PLWH), as well as literature regarding interventions to address alcohol use and its influences among PLWH. This narrative review identifies alcohol use as a risk factor for HIV transmission, as well as a factor impacting the clinical manifestations and management of HIV. Alcohol use appears to have additive and potentially synergistic effects on common HIV-related comorbidities. We find that interventions to modify drinking and improve HIV-related risks and outcomes have had limited success to date, and we recommend research in several areas. Consistent with Office of AIDS Research/National Institutes of Health priorities, we suggest research to better understand how and at what levels alcohol influences comorbid conditions among PLWH, to elucidate the mechanisms by which alcohol use is impacting comorbidities, and to understand whether decreases in alcohol use improve HIV-relevant outcomes. This should include studies regarding whether state-of-the-art medications used to treat common coinfections are safe for PLWH who drink alcohol. We recommend that future research among PLWH include validated self-report measures of alcohol use and/or biological measurements, ideally both. Additionally, subgroup variation in associations should be identified to ensure that the risks of particularly vulnerable populations are understood. This body of research should serve as a foundation for a next generation of intervention studies to address alcohol use from transmission to treatment of HIV. Intervention studies should inform implementation efforts to improve provision of alcohol-related interventions and treatments for PLWH in healthcare settings. By making further progress on understanding how alcohol use affects PLWH in the era of HIV as a chronic condition, this research should inform how we can mitigate transmission, achieve viral suppression, and avoid exacerbating common comorbidities of HIV and alcohol use and make progress toward the 90-90-90 goals for engagement in the HIV treatment cascade.

Pain and Mortality Risk in a Cohort of HIV-Infected Persons with Alcohol Use Disorders

Pain has been associated with increased risk for mortality in some studies. We analyzed data from a cohort study [HIV-longitudinal interrelationships of viruses and ethanol (HIV-LIVE)] of HIV-infected persons with alcohol use disorders enrolled 2001-2003 to explore whether reporting moderate or greater pain interference was associated with mortality. The main independent variable was pain that at least moderately interfered with work based on a single question from the SF-12. Primary analyses dichotomized at "moderately" or above. Cox proportional hazards models assessed the association between pain interference and death adjusting for demographics, substance use, CD4 count, HIV viral load and co-morbidities. Although significant in unadjusted models (HR = 1.58 (95 % CI 1.03-2.41; p value = 0.04)), after adjusting for confounders, ≥moderate pain interference was not associated with an increased risk of death [aHR = 1.30 (95 % CI 0.81-2.11, p value = 0.28)]. Among HIV-infected persons with alcohol use disorders, we did not detect a statistically significant independent association between pain interference and risk of death after adjustment for potential confounders.

Housing Status, Medical Care, and Health Outcomes Among People Living With HIV/AIDS: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Accumulating evidence suggests responses to HIV that combine individual-level interventions with those that address structural or contextual factors that influence risks and health outcomes of infection. Housing is such a factor. Housing occupies a strategic position as an intermediate structural factor, linking "upstream" economic, social, and cultural determinants to the more immediate physical and social environments in which everyday life is lived. The importance of housing status for HIV prevention and care has been recognized, but much of this attention has focused on homeless individuals as a special risk group. Analyses have less often addressed community housing availability and conditions as factors influencing population health or unstable, inadequate, or unaffordable housing as a situation or temporary state. A focus on individual-level characteristics associated with literal homelessness glosses over social, economic, and policy drivers operating largely outside any specific individual's control that affect housing and residential environments and the health resources or risk exposures such contexts provide.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the available empirical evidence on the association between housing status (broadly defined), medical care, and health outcomes among people with HIV and analyzed results to inform future research, program development, and policy implementation.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched 8 electronic health and social science databases from January 1, 1996, through March 31, 2014, using search terms related to housing, dwelling, and living arrangements and HIV and AIDS. We contacted experts for additional literature.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We selected articles if they were quantitative analyses published in English, French, or Spanish that included at least 1 measure of housing status as an independent variable and at least 1 health status, health care, treatment adherence, or risk behavior outcome among people with HIV in high-income countries. We defined housing status to include consideration of material or social dimensions of housing adequacy, stability, and security of tenure.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two independent reviewers performed data extraction and quality appraisal. We used the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for randomized controlled trials and a modified version of the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Appraisal Tool for nonintervention studies. In our quality appraisal, we focused on issues of quality for observational studies: appropriate methods for determining exposure and measuring outcomes and methods to control confounding.

RESULTS

Searches yielded 5528 references from which we included 152 studies, representing 139,757 HIV-positive participants. Most studies were conducted in the United States and Canada. Studies examined access and utilization of HIV medical care, adherence to antiretroviral medications, HIV clinical outcomes, other health outcomes, emergency department and inpatient utilization, and sex and drug risk behaviors. With rare exceptions, across studies in all domains, worse housing status was independently associated with worse outcomes, controlling for a range of individual patient and care system characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of stable, secure, adequate housing is a significant barrier to consistent and appropriate HIV medical care, access and adherence to antiretroviral medications, sustained viral suppression, and risk of forward transmission. Studies that examined the history of homelessness or problematic housing years before outcome assessment were least likely to find negative outcomes, homelessness being a potentially modifiable contextual factor. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies indicate an independent effect of housing assistance on improved outcomes for formerly homeless or inadequately housed people with HIV. Housing challenges result from complex interactions between individual vulnerabilities and broader economic, political, and legal structural determinants of health. The broad structural processes sustaining social exclusion and inequality seem beyond the immediate reach of HIV interventions, but changing housing and residential environments is both possible and promising.

Impact of hepatitis C status on 20-year mortality of patients with substance use disorders

Background

The magnitude of the effect of hepatitis C viral infection on survival is still not fully understood. The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of hepatitis C viral antibodies in 1991 was associated with increased mortality 20 years later within a cohort of patients with substance use disorders. Secondary objectives were to determine other factors that were associated with increased mortality in the cohort.

Methods

A subset of a 1991 study cohort of patients who had presented for detoxification was reexamined 20 years later. The Social Security Death Index was queried to identify which of the original patients had died. Attributes of survivors and non-survivors were compared, with special attention to their hepatitis C status in 1991. The original study and this analysis were conducted in the chemical detoxification unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview (previously Francis Scott Key Hospital), an academic urban hospital. All participants met the criteria for alcohol or opioid dependence at the time of admission in 1991. The primary study outcome was 20-year mortality after initial admission in 1991, with a planned analysis of hepatitis C status.

Results

Twenty years after admission, 362 patients survived and 82 had died. Of the 284 patients who were hepatitis C positive, 228 survived (80 %). Of the 160 patients who were hepatitis C negative, 134 survived (84 %). This absolute risk increase of 4 % was not statistically significant (p = 0.37). Factors associated with increased mortality included male sex, white race, older age, and reported use of alcohol, cocaine, and illicit methadone. Binary logistic regression including hepatitis C status and these other variables yielded an adjusted odds ratio of 0.87 (95 % CI 0.49–1.55); (p = 0.64) for hepatitis C positive 20-year survival.

Conclusions

Hepatitis C positivity was not associated with a statistically significant difference in 20-year survival. The effect of the virus on mortality, if present, is small, relative to the effect of substance use disorders alone.

Twelve-year mortality in HIV-infected patients receiving antiretroviral therapy: the role of social vulnerability. The ANRS CO8 APROCO-COPILOTE cohort

BACKGROUND

Although the role of clinical/biological factors associated with mortality has already been explored in HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART), to date little attention has been given to the potential role of social vulnerability. This study aimed to construct an appropriate measure of social vulnerability and to evaluate whether this measure is predictive of increased mortality risk in ART-treated patients followed up in the ANRS CO8 APROCO-COPILOTE cohort.

METHODS

The cohort enrolled 1,281 patients initiating a protease inhibitor-based regimen in 1997-1999. Clinical/laboratory data were collected every 4 months. Self-administered questionnaires collected psycho-social/behavioural characteristics at enrolment (month [M] 0), M4 and every 8-12 months thereafter. A multiple correspondence analysis using education, employment and housing indicators helped construct a composite indicator measuring social vulnerability. The outcome studied was all-cause deaths occurring after M4. The relationship between social vulnerability and mortality, after adjustment for other predictors, was studied using a shared-frailty Cox model, taking into account informative study dropout.

RESULTS

Over a median (IQR) follow-up of 7.9 (3.0-11.2) years, 121 deaths occurred among 1,057 eligible patients, corresponding to a mortality rate (95% CI) of 1.64 (1.37, 1.96)/100 person-years. Leading causes of death were non-AIDS defining cancers (n=26), AIDS (n=23) and cardiovascular diseases (n=12). Social vulnerability (HR [95% CI] =1.2 [1.0, 1.5]) was associated with increased mortality risk, after adjustment for other known behavioural and bio-medical predictors.

CONCLUSIONS

Social vulnerability remains a major mortality predictor in ART-treated patients. A real need exists for innovative interventions targeting individuals cumulating several sources of social vulnerability, to ensure that social inequalities do not continue to lead to higher mortality.

Impact of hepatitis C virus infection on the risk of death of alcohol-dependent patients

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is frequent among patients with alcohol use disorders. We aimed to analyse the impact of HCV infection on survival of patients seeking treatment for alcohol use. This was a longitudinal study in a cohort of patients who abused alcohol recruited in two detoxification units. Socio-demographic and alcohol use characteristics, liver function tests for the assessment of alcohol-related liver disease and HCV and HIV infection serologies were obtained at admission. Patients were followed until December 2008; causes of death were ascertained through clinical records and death registry. Cox models were used to analyse predictors of death. A total of 675 patients (79.7% men) were admitted; age at admission was 43.5 years (IQR: 37.9-50.2 years), duration of alcohol abuse was 18 years (IQR: 11-24 years), and median alcohol consumption was 200 g/day (IQR: 120-275 g/day). Distribution of patients according to viral infections was as follows: 75.7% without HCV or HIV infection, 14.7% HCV infection alone and 8.1% HCV/HIV coinfection. Median follow-up was 3.1 years (IQR: 1.5-5.1 years) accounting for 2,345 person-years. At the end of study, 78 patients (11.4%) had died. In the multivariate analysis, age at admission (HR = 1.71, 95%CI: 1.05-2.80), alcohol-related liver disease (HR = 3.55, 95%CI: 1.93-6.53) and HCV/HIV co-infection (HR = 3.86 95%CI: 2.10-7.11) were predictors of death. Younger patients (≤43 years) with HCV infection were more likely to die than those without viral infections (HR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.3-7.3; P = 0.007). Among patients with alcohol-related liver disease, mortality rate was high, irrespective of viral infections. These data show that HCV infection confers a worse prognosis in patients with alcohol use disorders.

Inflammatory cytokines and mortality in a cohort of HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems

BACKGROUND

HIV infection leads to chronic inflammation and alterations in levels of inflammatory cytokines. The association between cytokine levels and mortality in HIV infection is not fully understood.

METHODS

We analyzed data from a cohort of HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems who were recruited in 2001-2003, and were prospectively followed until 2010 for mortality using the National Death Index. The main independent variables were inflammatory biomarkers [interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, monocyte chemotactic protein-1, and cystatin-C], measured at baseline in peripheral blood and categorized as high (defined as being in the highest quartile) vs. low. A secondary analysis was conducted using inflammatory burden score, defined as the number of biomarkers in the highest quartile (0, 1, 2 or ≥ 3). Cox models were used to assess the association between both biomarker levels and inflammatory burden with mortality adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Four hundred HIV-infected patients were included (74.8% men, mean age 42 years, 50% hepatitis C virus-infected). As of 31 December 2009, 85 patients had died. In individual multivariable analyses for each biomarker, high levels of IL-6 and C-reactive protein were significantly associated with mortality [hazard ratio=2.49 (1.69-5.12), P<0.01] and [hazard ratio=1.87 (1.11-3.15), P=0.02], respectively. There was also a significant association between inflammatory burden score and mortality [hazard ratio=2.18 (1.29-3.66) for ≥ 3 vs. 0, P=0.04]. In the fully adjusted multivariable analysis, high levels of IL-6 remained independently associated with mortality [hazard ratio=2.57 (1.58-4.82), P<0.01].

CONCLUSION

High IL-6 levels and inflammatory burden score were associated with mortality in a cohort of HIV-infected adults with alcohol problems.