HIV seroprevalence across the rural/urban continuum

Injection drug use, HIV/HCV, and related services in nonurban areas of the United States: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Injection drug use (IDU) in nonurban areas of the United States is a growing public health concern, but there has been no comprehensive assessment of existing research on injection-related HIV and hepatitis C (HCV) in nonurban communities. We conducted a systematic review to assess the current literature and identify knowledge gaps.

METHODS

We systematically searched six databases for relevant articles published between January 1990 and June 2016 and screened, extracted, and analyzed the resulting data. Studies were included if they reported original findings from the nonurban U.S. related to 1) IDU and its role in HIV/HCV transmission, and/or 2) HIV/HCV services for people who inject drugs (PWID).

RESULTS

Of 2330 studies, 34 from 24 unique research projects in 17 states met inclusion criteria. Despite increasing HCV and high vulnerability to injection-related HIV outbreaks in nonurban areas, only three studies since 2010 recruited and tested PWID for HIV/HCV. Twelve reported on sharing injection equipment but used varying definitions of sharing, and only eight examined correlates of injection risk. Nine studies on syringe access suggest limited access through syringe exchange programs and pharmacies. Only two studies addressed HCV testing, none addressed HIV testing, and three examined behavioral or other interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite growing concern regarding nonurban IDU there are few studies of HIV/HCV and related services for PWID, and the existing literature covers a very limited geographical area. Current research provides minimal insights into any unique factors that influence injection risk and HIV/HCV service provision and utilization among nonurban PWID.

Health outcomes associated with crack-cocaine use: Systematic review and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

Crack-cocaine use is prevalent largely in socio-economically marginalized populations in the Americas. Its use has been associated with diverse health outcomes, yet no recent or systematic reviews of these exist.

METHODS

A systematic review of health outcomes associated with crack-cocaine use was performed, using MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and LILACS up to October 2016. Search terms included crack-cocaine and health outcome-related keywords, targeting peer-reviewed studies on quantified health outcomes associated with crack-cocaine use. Random effects meta-analyses produced pooled odds ratios. Levels of evidence for major results were assessed using the GRADE approach. A review protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42016035486).

RESULTS

Of 4700 articles returned, 302 met eligibility criteria, reporting on health outcomes for 14 of 22 ICD-10 chapters. Conclusive evidence and meta-analyses showed positive associations between crack-cocaine use and blood/sexually transmitted diseases (HIV and hepatitis C virus, others); moderate evidence and meta-analyses supported associations with neonatal health, and violence. There were mixed associations for mental and other health outcomes, yet insufficient evidence to perform meta-analyses for many categories (e.g., mortality). Most underlying research was of limited or poor quality, with crack-cocaine commonly assessed as a secondary covariate.

CONCLUSIONS

Crack-cocaine use was associated with a range of health outcomes, although it was unclear if there was direct causal impact, interactions between risk factors, or external drivers of both crack-cocaine use and outcomes. Rigorous epidemiological studies are needed to systematically assess health outcomes of crack-cocaine use and underlying pathways, also to inform evidence-based interventions.

HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and incarceration among women: national and southern perspectives

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to explore the relationships between incarceration and emerging increases in HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the rural south, particularly among black women of low socioeconomic status.

STUDY DESIGN

The study used secondary data on correctional populations, incarceration rates, admissions to correctional facilities (prisons and jails), HIV and STD prevalence among inmates, and national and state HIV surveillance data.

RESULTS

Simultaneous consideration of these disparate data suggests some important patterns. Nationally, increasing proportions of inmates are women, and blacks and Latinos/as of low socioeconomic status are disproportionately represented in inmate populations. Incarceration rates are higher in the south (790 per 100,000) than in other regions and, within the south, rates are about the same for rural and urban counties (1194 and 1160). The prevalences of HIV and STDs are higher among female than male inmates (for HIV, approximately 3% to 2% nationally), and among the highest regional burdens of HIV are found among releasees from southern correctional facilities (26% of all people living with HIV in the south in 1999 were released from a prison or jail that same year) and among southern women releasees (15% of all women with HIV were correctional releasees). Taken together, these figures suggest that many southern women with HIV/AIDS and STDs, especially poor black women from rural areas, are found in prisons and jails, perhaps more so than in other parts of the country. At the same time, only small percentages of newly reported cases of AIDS among women in the south are diagnosed in correctional facilities (0.6-7%, depending on the state).

CONCLUSIONS

Given the concentrations of rural black women with HIV/AIDS and STDs in southern correctional facilities, it is important to recognize that prisons and jails are critical settings in which to deploy programs for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infectious diseases and other health problems. Such interventions, as well as interventions focused on the rural communities themselves, would benefit not only inmates and releasees, but also the larger public health.

Injection drug use and crack cocaine smoking: independent and dual risk behaviors for HIV infection

PURPOSE

Previous studies have examined the practices of injecting drugs or smoking crack cocaine as high-risk, but independent, factors for HIV transmission. To explore the independent and dual risks of injection practices and crack smoking, this study examined HIV seroprevalence rates among distinct drug user groups, based on patterns of daily administration.

METHODS

A sample of 3,555 drug users and neighborhood controls in urban Miami, FL and rural Belle Glade and Immokalee, FL were partitioned into four mutually-exclusive groups: 1) injection drug users (IDUs); 2) crack-cocaine smokers; 3) dual users who both smoked crack and injected drugs; and 4) non-drug-user controls.

RESULTS

HIV seroprevalence rates were 45.1% for IDUs, 30.5% for dual users, 20.1% for crack smokers and 7.3% for controls. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that when compared with controls odds ratios for HIV seropositivity were 9.81 for IDUs, 5.27 for dual users, and 2.24 for crack smokers.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings provide evidence of: 1) behavioral and structural co-factors that influence HIV exposure patterns among drug users; and 2) the substantially higher risk of HIV infection among IDUs compared with other drug users. Intervention strategies must be tailored for the specific drug use subpopulations to optimize efficacy.

Short report: migration among persons living with HIV

Data from the first national probability sample of persons with HIV, the HIV Cost of Services and Utilization Survey (HCSUS), are used to examine migration patterns among persons with HIV/AIDS in the USA. Persons with serious illness may choose to relocate to receive better care or support. This migration has implications for the distribution of resources. This study describes the frequency and reasons that persons with HIV move to different communities. An analytic file of 3014 respondents was obtained from the first national probability sample of persons with HIV/AIDS, the HCSUS. A migration section of the baseline questionnaire questioned respondents on their residential history. Persons were defined as movers if they moved across state lines or to a non-contiguous county after knowing they were HIV positive but before the HCSUS baseline interview. Forty percent of movers said that their HIV status was a very important factor in their decision to move. Although earlier studies of limited generalizability found movement among the HIV population from urban to rural counties, this study found only eight percent of HIV migration was from urban to rural counties, just slightly more than the migration from rural to urban counties. In addition, the vast majority of people who were moving were not moving to return home. Major factors in the decision to move included being near caregivers and being in a community with shared needs and interests. Significant numbers of persons also moved to obtain care from a physician knowledgeable in HIV treatment or to get away from discrimination. Financial assistance and the availability of Medicaid also played a prominent role in many decisions to move. Persons with HIV/AIDS are more likely to move than non-infected persons in the general population. Moreover, they are almost twice as likely to be moving out-of-state. Persons with HIV who move are similar to persons with HIV who do not move on most demographic characteristics including age, region of the country, and income.

Where to seek care: an examination of people in rural areas with HIV/AIDS

Though HIV/AIDS has spread to rural areas, little empirical evidence is available on where patients living in these areas receive care. This article presents estimates of rural residents in care for HIV/AIDS, their demographic and health-related characteristics, information about whether they receive care in a rural or urban setting, and data on the drug therapies prescribed. The estimates come from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), a nationally representative probability sample of HIV-infected adults receiving care in the contiguous United States. Regardless of the definition used--enrollment site, usual source of HIV care, or site of most recent hospitalization--almost three quarters of rural residents with HIV/AIDS obtained their health care in urban areas. The authors find that differences in the demographic characteristics of those using urban vs. rural care do not drive the decision on where to obtain care, with the primary difference being that people with a rural provider tend to be older. Rural residents with an urban usual source of HIV care incurred significant inconvenience in obtaining care--the majority said their care was not conveniently located, they had substantially longer mean travel times, and over 25% had put off obtaining care in the past 6 months because they did not have a way to get to their provider. Given the considerable burden this places on a chronically ill population,further research is needed to explore how provider supply and provider experience affect the decision to travel for care and how quality of care is affected.

Infections with Ehrlichia chaffeensis and Ehrlichia ewingii in persons coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus

The clinical course and laboratory evaluation of 21 patients coinfected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Ehrlichia chaffeensis or Ehrlichia ewingii are reviewed and summarized, including 13 cases of ehrlichiosis caused by E. chaffeensis, 4 caused by E. ewingii, and 4 caused by either E. chaffeensis or E. ewingii. Twenty patients were male, and the median CD4(+) T lymphocyte count was 137 cells/microL. Exposures to infecting ticks were linked to recreational pursuits, occupations, and peridomestic activities. For 8 patients, a diagnosis of ehrlichiosis was not considered until > or =4 days after presentation. Severe manifestations occurred more frequently among patients infected with E. chaffeensis than they did among patients infected with E. ewingii, and all 6 deaths were caused by E. chaffeensis. Ehrlichiosis may be a life-threatening illness in HIV-infected persons, and the influence of multiple factors, including recent changes in the epidemiology and medical management of HIV infection, may increase the frequency with which ehrlichioses occur in this patient cohort.

Recommendations to bridge rural/urban drug-use(r) research and practice

This article presents recommendations developed by a group of United States drug-use(r) researchers interested in rural and urban research and practice who met in Lexington, Kentucky, in October 1996. Overall, there was consensus about the importance of better understanding the urban/rural drug and alcohol use/dependency continuum. It was emphasized that drug and alcohol use/dependency are chronic and relapsing disorders. Definitions of rural and urban are most important, and different definitions may be associated with factors that are masked by population density. Specific recommendations are presented in the following areas: Rural Factors, Epidemiology, HIV/AIDS, Treatment and Other Services, Migration, Youth, Protective Factors, Systems Perspective, Measurement, Confidentiality, Criminal Justice, Research, Policy Research, Economic Factors, Service Providers, and Managed Care.